Direito em Movimento - Volume 19 - Número 1 - 1º semestre - 2021

96 Direito em Movimento, Rio de Janeiro, v. 19 - n. 1, p. 81-107, 1º sem. 2021 ARTIGOS taken by States parties to preserve the environment and protect it against harm, pollution and climate change caused by public and private actors.’ (UN, 2019) This, in turn, requires a specific commitment to sustainability: States parties should therefore ensure sustainable use of natural resources, develop and implement substantive environmental stan- dards, conduct environmental impact assessments and consult with relevant States about activities likely to have a significant impact on the environment, provide notification to other States concerned about natural disasters and emergencies and cooperate with them, provide appropriate access to information on environmental hazards and pay due regard to the precautionary approach. (UN, 2019) More recently, UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner has noted: All human beings depend on the environment in which we live. A safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment is integral to the full enjoyment of a wide range of human rights, including the ri- ghts to life, health, food, water and sanitation. Without a healthy environment, we are unable to fulfil our aspirations or even live at a level commensurate with minimum standards of human dignity. (UN, 2019) National constitutions are also beginning to appreciate the linkages between dignity and the environment. Belgium’s constitution expressly entwines environmental and dignity rights constitutionally: ‘Everyone has the right to lead a life worthy of human dignity… [including] the right to enjoy the protection of a healthy environment.’ 45 South Africa’s constitution is among those that echoes dignity dimensions by providing that ‘everyone has the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or wel- lbeing.’ 46 Yet few other constitutions directly recognize the impact of the 45 The constitution of Belgium, Title II, Art. 23(4). 46 Section 24 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa provides that: ‘everyone has the right to an en- vironment that is not harmful to their health or well-being; and to have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations, through reasonable legislative and other measures that: (i) prevent pollution and ecological degradation; (ii) promote conservation; and (iii) secure ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development.’