Developing Countries, Environmental Challenges, Politics and Human Rights: Another Conundrum in the Quest to Deconstruct the ‘Right to Poverty’

Abstract

Developing countries have been struggling to deconstruct the ‘right to poverty’ which they have found themselves mired in for decades. However the issue of climate change has further obfuscated their desire to utilise the same methods used by developed countries in attaining their developed status. This is further exacerbated by trade protectionism at times guised as environmentalism especially with the debut of the global environmental enterprise. Human rights are now a primal concept increasingly accepted in most developing countries albeit begrudgingly. However governments find themselves constrained by development and environmental concerns which often clash with various fundamental human rights. Environmental considerations are increasingly affecting political careers, with developing countries that have made fragile yet astute political gains in good governance at great risk. The discourse first addresses human rights and environmental protection. It then addresses global disparities noting the structures that reinforce poverty. This includes the impact of international law on the environment and human rights in developed and developing countries, popularly referred to as the North and South respectively. The last part addresses how developing nations can still attempt to deconstruct the ‘right to poverty’ amidst environmental challenges taking into account utilitarianism as the backbone of such attempts.

Keywords: Environment, Poverty, Developing Countries, Politics, Human Rights

JEL Classification: K32, K33, K10, K29, K39, K40, K49