CLIMATE JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS: INTERACTIONS WITH GENDER, INDIGENEITY, AND IMMIGRATION

Climate change has emerged as one of the most significant global challenges of the twenty-first century, with profound implications for human rights, social justice, and sustainable development. This study examines the interconnections between climate justice and human rights, with particular attention to the experiences of women, Indigenous peoples, and immigrants who are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation and climate related disasters. Climate justice emphasizes the equitable distribution of environmental benefits and burdens, recognizing that vulnerable populations often bear the greatest consequences of climate change despite contributing the least to its causes. Using data derived from secondary sources and employing the use of the Environmental Justice theory, the study explores how gender inequalities intensify women's vulnerability to climate impacts through limited access to resources, decision-making processes, and adaptive capacities. It further analyzes the unique challenges faced by Indigenous communities whose cultural heritage, traditional livelihoods, and territorial rights are endangered by environmental changes and extractive activities. Additionally, the research reveals the growing phenomenon of climate-induced migration and the human rights concerns affecting immigrants and displaced populations, including issues of legal protection, social exclusion, and access to essential services. It concludes that advancing climate justice requires addressing structural inequalities and ensuring the protection of vulnerable groups through rights-based approaches that promote resilience, environmental sustainability, and social transformation in an era of accelerating climate change.