The Status of the Right to a Clean, Healthy, and Sustainable Environment under Customary International Law

The recog­ni­tion of a right to a clean, healthy, and sus­tain­able envi­ron­ment remains con­test­ed under cus­tom­ary inter­na­tion­al law. Some view recent UN res­o­lu­tions as evi­dence of its emer­gence, while oth­ers argue they mere­ly rein­force exist­ing oblig­a­tions. The Human Rights Coun­cil and Gen­er­al Assem­bly have acknowl­edged this right, but states dif­fer on its legal impact. As the Inter­na­tion­al Court of Jus­tice exam­ines the issue, the focus is shift­ing from recog­ni­tion to imple­men­ta­tion, with insti­tu­tions now work­ing to mon­i­tor and enforce envi­ron­men­tal human rights.