The Overlooked Connection Between the Environment and Human Rights

We have all heard it: humans can’t live without air for more than three minutes, without water for three days, and without food for three weeks. But what if they have access to air, but it's polluted with dust and toxic fumes? Or they get food but it is not nutritious, and they get water, but it's contaminated with hazardous industrial chemicals? Does life under these conditions still hold value? Or does our right to life slowly erode with each polluted breath, each contaminated sip, each empty meal?

Let's briefly explore this article to uncover, through data, how damaging the environment is also damaging human rights.

Where Do We Stand?

It is a simple question: why do we breathe, drink, and eat? The answer is equally simple—to stay alive. Our very existence is inextricably linked to the health of the world around you. Every breath you take, every sip of water you drink, and every bite of food you eat comes from one place: our environment

That is why, after five decades of lobbying, in 2022, the United Nations declared a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment a "human right".. Think about that for a moment. It means that the air, the water, and the food are essential to your basic right to life

This international recognition by the UN, the world’s leading policy-making body, joins over 156 nations recognizing this right. Tanzania has also been working to recognize this right since 2004 through section 4 of the Environmental Management Act.

But how are we doing with that? Not great.

Breathing Poison

Air pollution is silently stealing lives. It’s linked to heart disease, respiratory issues, and lung cancer. Over 99% of the global population breathes air that doesn’t meet the World Health Organization’s safety standards, though the impact varies depending on the nature and level of pollution. In 2019 alone, air pollution contributed to 6.7 million deaths worldwide, twice the combined toll of tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. Over 89% of these deaths occurred in developing countries, including Tanzania

Closer to home, Dar es Salaam—one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities—has air pollution levels two times higher than WHO’s safe limits, according to air quality monitoring company IQAir. Imagine breathing in toxins every single day—what does that mean for your right to live a healthy life?

Fleeing a Dying Planet

Now let’s talk about climate disasters. In 2022, over 32 million people were forced to flee their homes due to floods, hurricanes, and droughts. Millions more left in search of food after crops failed. Heartbreakingly, 60% of these people moved to areas equally devastated by climate change. According to the World Bank, 80% of people at risk of hunger live in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Even Tanzania’s economy has taken a hit. The 2023 Economic Survey report from the Ministry of Finance which was released in 2024, explicitly states that climate change is one of the factors contributing to the failure to achieve the year's economic growth target. This is not surprising considering that agriculture is the leading contributor, accounting for 26.5% of the national GDP and employing more than half of Tanzania's workforce. This situation leads to poverty and negatively impacts their economic rights, development, and property ownership."

The Human Cost of Climate Change

Climate change is not only an environmental problem—it’s a human rights catastrophe. Take children, for example. According to UNICEF, over 20,000 children flee their homes every day due to climate disasters. They lose access to schools, denying them their right to education and robbing them of a brighter future.

Women face their own battles. Displaced from their land and often burdened with the responsibility of finding scarce water, they endure hardship and, in many cases, gender-based violence. Young girls, instead of attending school, spend hours searching for water, a simple act that shatters their dreams and limits their potential

When disasters like floods strike, people with disabilities (PWDs) suffer the most, Many PWDs can’t run quickly for safety. Without accessible evacuation routes, they’re often left behind. Emergency shelters rarely cater to their needs, making survival even harder. With 11.2% of Tanzania’s population living with disabilities, how prepared is the country to protect this vulnerable group, knowing that PWDs are two to four times more likely to die or be injured during a disaster?

What’s at Stake?

A polluted environment strips away your fundamental rights: the right to health, education, safety, and even a dignified life. It is a direct attack on the very essence of what makes us human.

It’s time to stop treating the environment as a side issue. Protecting it is protecting our right to live, thrive, and dream. So the next time you take a breath, drink a glass of water, or sit down for a meal, remember this: your life depends on the planet, and the planet depends on you.