Climate Change and Human Rights

I believe that human rights has a negative impact on climate change and that climate change has a negative impact on human rights. Human rights has impacted climate change negatively because the things people decide to do in their everyday lives pollute the environment, cause global warming, etc. Until recently, there have not been many rules and regulations that keep people from harming the environment. Now that these regulations have been put into place, climate change has been reduced slightly but still not by much. What has to happen in order for climate change to completely discontinue is new technological advances that replace current emission and chemical releasing technology.  

As long as humans have the right to make their own decisions in their everyday lives, a majority of them will most likely continue to do things that harm the environment and cause climate change. A small percentage of all the humans on Earth though, will be the ones that are negatively impacted by climate change and the rights of other humans. The humans Elizabeth Lindsey was talking about in her Ted Talk are the humans that are affected by climate change. These humans did not do anything to cause the climate change as they live off the land the same way their great ancestors did. They live so simply and have no daily practices that give off chemicals and emissions but yet they have to suffer from the people who do live that way. I understand that it is difficult to live the same way these individuals do especially if you live in a country like America, but we could at least try to live more similarly to these individuals in as many aspects possible.

Farish Noor discusses a lot about how Eurocentric countries and individuals are blind and ignorant to the ways other countries do things. Eurocentric individuals and countries seem to think that the way their country does things is best and that they need to control the ways other countries do things. Noor discusses that if we were each just a little more open to other countries’ ways of doing things and thinking about things, it could make people a little less Eurocentric and more open to global ways of thinking and behaving. Countries are also so power hungry nowadays and always want to be in control of things, including entire countries. These countries have a high level of Eurocentrism. They believe they are always right and they try to force their beliefs and ways of doing things on other countries. If we were all just a little more knowledgeable on other countries practices and beliefs, Eurocentrism would be less of a problem and the world could work together a lot better.     

Bibliography

Lindsey, E. (n.d.). Ancient Wisdom for a Modern World: Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey at TEDxMaui. Retrieved October 10, 2015.

Meijers, & Noor, F. (2001). Beyond Eurocentrism. Dealing With Human Rights. (pp. 49-73). Bloomfield, CT: Kumarian Press.