The alarming developments of recent years, such as the deterioration of the environment, climate change, air and water pollution and loss of biodiversity have a profound effect on the enjoyment of human rights. The UN Human Rights Committee has explicitly warned that “environmental degradation, climate change and unsustainable development constitute some of the most pressing and serious threats to the ability of present and future generations to enjoy the right to life”. Human beings are dependent on a healthy and safe environment for our survival. Without it, we would not even be able to fulfil our basic needs. This points to a clear interdependence of human life and nature and therefore a strong linkage and interconnection between the environment and our human rights. This interdependence has always existed but was intensified in recent decades in our globalised communities, where environmental pollution and industrialisation of the food production blur the delimitations between animal and human life.

Adopting a human rights approach to the protection of the environment and sustainable development and delivering a resilient and sustainable ecosystem is our shared responsibility for future generations. The continued exhaustion of natural resources, climate change and the extinction of species will likely be a significant burden for future generations. Therefore, the protection of the environment as well as sustainable development are often associated with the concepts of intergenerational equity, ensuring fairness and justice from one generation to the next.

Regarding the system of the Council of Europe, neither the European Convention on Human Rights and its protocols, nor the European Social Charter expressly guarantee the right to a healthy environment. Even though the European Convention on Human Rights does not enshrine a right to a healthy environ- ment as such, the European Court of Human Rights has been called upon to develop its case law in environmental matters.

The exercise of certain rights enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights may be undermined by the existence of harm to the environment and exposure to environmental risks. Rights such as the respect for private life or the home were applied by the Court in cases of harmful substances caused by urban development and industrial pollution affecting the health and well-being of citizens.

In its recommendation CM/Rec(2022)20, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe calls on its 46 member States to recognise, at national level, the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a human right and to guarantee the effective enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set out in the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and in the European Social Charter and the Revised European Social Charter, including in relation to the environment. What is more, the Court recently received its first cases on climate change mitigation.

Moreover, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is already working towards a green protocol or convention.14 The joint declaration of Georgia, Greece and Germany, in their Presidencies of the Committee of Ministers, calling for the elaboration of a legal instrument on environment and human rights,15 should also be highlighted.

Mobility is one of the greatest environmental challenges that we are facing today. To uphold our societies and economies, people require intricate trans- portation networks: cars, buses, trains and so on. These and other means of transport leave their mark on the environment. Around one quarter of global CO₂ emissions come from the transport of people and goods. Today, creating sustainable transport solutions is key to creating a more environment-conscious future. Cities and regions are today at the forefront of this challenge, but it is also a great opportunity to develop low-carbon cities and regions.

The Congress gathered a set of good practices that have been successfully implemented by local and regional authorities, including :

• the creation of an Integrateted Urban Transport Project to decrease greenhouse gas emissions (Burgas, Bulgaria)
• the establishment of a venue for contemporary art activities in a railway station (Jurmala, Latvia)
• an awareness raising campaign where individual register green travels and companies compete to be best in terms of green travelling (Kristiansand, Norway)
• the promotion of non-motorised transport and the construction of independent cycle lanes (Aragoza, Spain)
• the implementation of hybrid bus technology for energy-efficient buses (Edinburgh, UK)

The Congress proposes a set of recommendations encouraging people to:

• CHOOSE a green transport company for the public transport offer in your municipality or region (that is, a company that uses electric or hybrid buses).
• PROMOTE the use of bicycles by adding safe cycle lanes or creating a bike-sharing system.
• IMPROVE public transport attractiveness, notably through increased accessibility and passenger capacity.
• ENCOURAGE shared mobility such as carpooling when public transportation is not possible.
• CREATE incentives to promote the use of sustainable means of transportation, such as individual competitions and regards (as Norway has done).
• LIMIT the use of motorised vehicles within city centres during weekends.
• PROMOTE walking by introducing a rewards system involving local/small businesses which offer discounts based on a certain amount of walking achieved.