Climate Change and the Human Right to Water

Abstract

‘Climate action’ and ‘Clean water and sanitation’ are two interconnected Sustainable Development Goals (6 & 13). Climate change has negative effects on all aspects of the human right to water: water’s availability, quality, accessibility, affordability and acceptability. Fulfilment of Sustainable Development Goals is measured by Indicators elaborated by different kind of organs and institutions. Indicators pertains to different factors and may lead to normative consequences. As instruments of global governance they require more transparency and participation in order to foster legitimacy and effectiveness Goals’ achievement. Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are examples of “governance by indicators”. The main content of reports is data syntheses of various factors influencing climate evolution. However, they contain “summaries for policymakers” of unequivocally normative character based on the interpretation and generalisation of data analysis. Explanation of climatological analyses, convincing theory of probability is required in order to gain stronger civil societies’ conviction for more dynamic action.