David Richard Boyd is a Canadian environmental lawyer, activist, and diplomat. He is United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment.^[1]

This biographical article is written like a résumé. (April 2024)

Quick Facts United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment ...

David Richard Boyd
United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment
Incumbent
Assumed office 2018

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In 2020, he was named as a supporter of the #1Planet1Right campaign.^[2] He supported the Escazu agreement (2021).^[3] Also in 2021, he supported a Jakarta Clean Air lawsuit.^[4][5][6] He has called on countries to defund coal infrastructure.^[7] In 2021 he endorsed a condemnation of the killing of Nacilio Macario.^[8] Also in 2021, he presented a report about water shortages to the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC).^[9][10]

He graduated from University of Alberta, and University of Toronto. He was executive director of Ecojustice Canada.^[1] He teaches at University of British Columbia.^[11]

Thematic reports

• Call for Recognition of the Human Right to a Healthy Environment, co-authored with John Knox, former Special Rapporteur on human rights and environment, General Assembly, 2018, A/73/188^[12]

• The Right to Breathe Clean Air, Human Rights Council, 2019, A/HRC/40/55.

• A Safe Climate, General Assembly, 2019, UN Doc. A/74/161 (25 pp.) Annex. A Safe Climate: Additional good practices, UN Doc. A/74/161/Annex (13 pp.)

• Good practices in recognizing and implementing the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. Human Rights Council, 2020, UN Doc. A/HRC/43/53 (27 pp.) Annex III: Additional Good Practices (31 pp.) Regional Annexes on Constitutions, Treaties, and Legislation Recognizing the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment Annex IV: Africa (37 pp.) Annex V: Asia-Pacific (27 pp.)Annex VI: Eastern Europe (28 pp.) Annex VII: Latin America and the Caribbean (35 pp.) Annex VIII: Western Europe and Other States (25 pp.)

• Human Rights Depend on a Healthy Biosphere, General Assembly, 2020, UN Doc. A/74/161. (26pp) Annex. Healthy Biosphere: Additional good practices (49 pp.).

• The Global Water Crisis and Human Rights: Water Pollution, Water Scarcity and Water-related Disasters (21 pp.), Human Rights Council, 2021, UN Doc. A/HRC/46/28. Annex. Safe and Sufficient Water: Additional good practices (33 pp.).

• Healthy and Sustainable Food: Reducing the Environmental Impacts of Food Systems on Human Rights, General Assembly, 2021, UN Doc. A/76/179. Annex. Healthy and Sustainable Food: Additional good practices

• Non-toxic Environments and Sacrifice Zones, Human Rights Council, 2022, A/HRC/49/53. Annex I. Good practices. Annex II. Additional sacrifice zones

• The human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment: a catalyst for accelerated action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. General Assembly, 2022, UN Doc. A/77/284, plus Annex I. Good practices and Annex II. Links between SDG targets and international human rights instruments.

• Women, Girls and the Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment, Human Rights Council, 2023, UN Doc. A/HRC/52/33. Annex I. Good practices.

• Paying Polluters: The catastrophic consequences of Investor-State Dispute Settlement mechanisms, General Assembly, 2023, UN Doc. A/78/168.

• Business, planetary boundaries and the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, Human Rights Council, 2024, UN Doc. A/HRC/55/43. Annex 1. Good practices.

HRC mandated summary reports of expert meetings

• Good practices—Summary Report on Experts Meeting on Experiences with the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment, Human Rights Council, 2020, UN Doc. A/HRC/43/54 (21 pp.)

• Pandemic Prevention—Summary of the Expert Seminar on human rights and environmental conservation in the prevention of future pandemics. Human Rights Council, 2022, A/HRC/52/44.

• Business and the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment—Summary of the Expert Seminar on business and the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, 2024. A/HRC/55/41.

Country mission reports

• Fiji, 2018, A/HRC/43/53/Add.1 (21 pp.)

• Norway, 2019, A/HRC/43/53/Add.2 (19 pp.)

• St. Vincent and the Grenadines, 2021 A/HRC/49/53/Add.1

• Portugal, 2022, A/HRC/52/33/Add.1

• Slovenia, 2022, A/HRC/52/33/Add.2

• Chile, 2023, A/HRC/55/43/Add.1

• Botswana, 2023, A/HRC/55/43/Add.2

Policy Briefs

• Report co-authored with Stephanie Keene, Human Rights-Based Approaches to Conserving Biodiversity: Equitable, Effective and Imperative, UN Special Rapporteur Policy Brief #1, with an Executive Summary (2021).

• Report co-authored with Stephanie Keene, Air Travel and Maritime Shipping Levies: Making Polluters Pay for Climate Loss, Damages and Adaptation, UN Special Rapporteur Policy Brief #2 (2021).

• Report co-authored with Stephanie Keene, Essential elements of effective and equitable human rights and environmental due diligence legislation. UN Special Rapporteur Policy Brief #3 (2022).

• Report co-authored with Imalka Nilmalgoda, The Overlooked Environmental and Human Rights Crisis: Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought. UN Special Rapporteur Policy Brief #4 (2023).

• Report co-authored with Stephanie Keene, Mobilizing Trillion$ for the Global South: The Imperative of Human Rights-based Climate Finance. UN Special Rapporteur Policy Brief #5 (2023).

• Report co-authored with Stephanie Keene, Profits over People and Planet: The Devastating Impacts of Businesses on the Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment. UN Special Rapporteur Policy Brief #6 (2024).

Amicus curiae briefs

• Advisory Opinion on Climate Change, International Court of Justice, 2024, co-authored with Dr. Marcos Orellana, the Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights, Francisco Cali-Tzay, the Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Prof. Surya Deva, the Special Rapporteur on the right to development

• Advisory Opinion on Human Rights and the Climate Emergency, Inter-American Court on Human Rights, 2023, co-authored with Dr. Marcos Orellana, the Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights and Prof. Surya Deva, the Special Rapporteur on the right to development

• Advisory Opinion, International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea, 2023, co-authored with Dr. Marcos Orellana, the Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights and Dr. Ian Fry, the Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate change, co-authored with Dr. Marcos Orellana, the Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights decision pending.

• Sovereign Inupiat for a Living Arctic et al v. Bureau of Land Management, et al, 2023, United States District Court for the District of Alaska, decision pending.

• Community of La Oroya v. Peru, Case No. 12.718, Inter-American Court of Human Rights, October 2022, decision pending.

• Greenpeace Nordic and others v. Norway, Application no. 34068/21, European Court of Human Rights (with Dr. Marcos Orellana, the Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights), decision pending.

• Duarte Agostinho et al. v Portugal et al. Application no. 39371/20, Grand Chamber, European Court of Human Rights, decision pending.

• Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz v. Switzerland, Application no. 53600/20, Grand Chamber, European Court of Human Rights, (with Dr. Marcos Orellana, the Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights and UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, Claudia Mahler).

• C.S. et al. v. Argentina, et al. N.104/2019, 105/2019, 106/2019, 107/2019, and 108/2019, UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (with former Special Rapporteur John Knox).

• CASO NO. 974-21-JP, CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OF ECUADOR, (with Dr. Marcos Orellana, the Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights).

• Groundwork Trust and Vukani Environmental Justice Alliance v. Minister of Environmental Affairs, et al, Case No: 39724/19, High Court of South Africa.

• Billy et al v Australia, Communication No. 3624/2019, (Torres Strait Islanders case), UN Human Rights Committee, (with former Special Rapporteur John Knox).

• Melanie Subono et al. v. President of the Republic of Indonesia et al, Citizen Lawsuit re: Jakarta Air Pollution, Case Number 374/PDT.G/LH/2019/PN.JKT.PST in Central Jakarta District Court.

• Fundo Clima Case, ADPF 708, AÇÃO DIRETA DE INCONSTITUCIONALIDADE POR OMISSÃO, Supremo Tribunal Federal, Brazil.

• Greenpeace Nordic et al. v Norway, Supreme Court of Norway, Case No. 20-051052SIV-HRET (with Dr. Marcos Orellana, the Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights).

• Friends of the Irish Environment v Ireland, 2018, High Court (appealed to Supreme Court).

Other publications

• 2024. Leading Cases on the Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment: A Global Survey. In press.
• 2024. Implementing the Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment: A Handbook for Civil Society. In press.
• 2023. “Child-focused climate finance: A human rights obligation”, in Falling Short: Addressing the climate finance gap for children. Children’s Environmental Rights Initiative, UNICEF, Plan International, and Save the Children.

• 2022. Essay, “Our Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment” in Living Planet Report 2022: Building a Nature-Positive Society, R.E.A. Almond, M. Grooten, D Juffe Bignoli and T. Petersen, eds. WWF.
• 2022. “Foreword: Time for Australia to Recognize the Right to a Healthy Environment” in A Healthy Environment is a Human Right: Report on the Status of the Human Right to a Healthy Environment in Australia, Environmental Defender’s Office.
• 2022. Report co-authored with McKenna Hadley-Burke, Sacrifice Zones: Fifty of the most polluted places on Earth. UBC/United Nations.

• 2021. Report co-authored with John Knox and Marc Limon. #Thetimeisnow: The case for universal recognition of the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, Universal Rights Group^[13]
• 2021. S. Stucki, G. Futhazar, D.R. Boyd et al, “World Lawyer’s Pledge on Climate Action,” Environmental Policy and Law, 51: 371-76.
• 2021. “O Direito a um Meio Ambiente Ecologicamente Equilibrado” in STF e as Mudanças Climáticas: contribuições para o debate sobre o Fundo Clima (ADPF 708), edited by Caio Borges and Pedro Henrique Vasques, Editora Telha, pp. 79-87.
• 2021. Foreword, “Principles and Policy Guidance on Children’s Rights to a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment in Association of Southeast Asian Nations.”^[14]
• 2021. Foreword, “Reclaiming the Narrative: The Struggles of Environment Defenders in Five Southeast Asian Nations.” Asia-Pacific Network of Environmental Defenders.^[15]

• 2020. Foreword: “Human Rights and the Environment,” International Environmental Law-making and Diplomacy Review, University of Eastern Finland.
• 2020. P.B. Larsen, D. Boyd et al. “Understanding and responding to the environmental human rights defenders’ crisis: The case for conservation action,” Conservation Letters, DOI: 10.1111/conl.12777

• 2019. The Human Right to Breathe Clean Air. Annals of Global Health, 85(1), p.146. doi:10.5334/aogh.2646
• 2019. “Preface,” The Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Context of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Published by the Center for International Environmental Law.
• Why all human rights depend on a healthy environment, The Conversation, October 27, 2020^[16]
• The Rights of Nature (ECW Press, 2017), ISBN 9781770412392
• The Optimistic Environmentalist (ECW Press, 2015), ISBN 9781770907645
• Cleaner, Greener, Healthier: A Prescription for Stronger Canadian Environmental Laws and Policies (UBC Press, 2015)
• The Environmental Rights Revolution: A Global Study of Constitutions, Human Rights, and the Environment (UBC Press, 2012).