Children’s rights in a changing climate: a perspective from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

Human rights are seriously affected by climate change, but children and children's human rights are of most concern. The purpose of this article is to show how climate change and the associated phenomena harm children and their rights. The United Nations Covention on the Rights of the Child is the most universally ratified human rights treaty in the world. This research examines the rights enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in the light of climate change effects. It identifies which children's rights are most affected by climate change. The article identifies how, which and to what extent rights listed in the covenant are undermined by sudden climate change events, as well as by the gradual consequences of climate change. It shifts the perspective on how we address climate change consequences: from human impacts to real human rights' violations.