Judges and scholars have interpreted human rights treaties as obligating states to mitigate climate change by limiting their greenhouse gas emissions, an argument instrumental to the development of climate litigation. This Article questions the validity of this interpretation. A state's treaty obligation to protect human rights implies an obligation to cooperate on the mitigation of climate change, the Article argues, only if and inasmuch as climate change mitigation effectively protects the enjoyment of treaty rights by individuals within the state's territory or under its jurisdiction. As such, human rights treaties open only a narrow window on the applicability of general mitigation obligations arising under climate treaties and customary international law.

法官和学者将人权条约解释为国家有义务通过限制温室气体排放来缓解气候变化，这一论点有助于气候诉讼的发展。本条质疑这种解释的有效性。该条款认为，一国保护人权的条约义务意味着在减缓气候变化方面进行合作的义务，前提是减缓气候变化有效地保护了该国领土内或其管辖范围内的个人享有条约权利。因此，人权条约在气候条约和习惯国际法下产生的一般缓解义务的适用性方面只打开了一个狭窄的窗口。