This module provides an overview of international human rights law in a format accessible to non-lawyers. It introduces primary sources of the standards and guidelines that underpin the FIRE framework, such as UN treaty monitoring bodies and Special Rapporteurs. It also condenses feminist political ecology into a set of digestible concepts and explains their cross-cutting application in the context of climate mitigation and adaptation. Other essential concepts, such as ‘the triple planetary crisis’, ‘planetary boundaries’, climate change adaptation and green transition are also introduced in this section.

This module combines an introduction to the non-discrimination obligation under international law with an explanation of how intersecting qualities like gender, age, ethnicity and disability shape how people experience risk in the context of climate change. Concrete examples demonstrate the key takeaway that action on climate change must be responsive to differential exposure, vulnerability and capabilities. Examples of effective practices are also included.

The key takeaway from this module is that international human rights law provides a rich source of inspiration for action on climate. Drawing on 75 years of internationally negotiated consensus on the ingredients of a life with dignity, this module maps core features of fundamental rights onto critical issues in climate mitigation and adaptation. Rights in focus include the right to life, the right to adequate housing, the right to water and the right to health. The right to equality is also explained.

The three elements introduced in this module capture the procedural component of rights-based approaches. All too often, even well-intentioned initiatives end up causing harm because they fail to integrate well-established requirements that respect the right to people to play a role in decisions that affect their lives, and to use the justice sector or other mechanisms to protect themselves from harm or obtain remedies where harm is unavoidable or has already been caused.

Law and policy shape adaptation action. Government agencies implement, private sector actors are regulated, and civil society actors observe and react to the impacts (a lack of effective) law and policy has on people in local context. However, governance is also about relationships between different social actors and the formal and informal mechanisms that shape conduct. Rights-based climate action using FIRE examines how governance systems and structures can be enhanced to advance human dignity in the climate emergency. The lectures in the module focus on core elements of this dimensions of FIRE.

This module invites learners to apply their knowledge of rights-based climate adaptation to a concrete scenario concerning the adaptation choices facing a coastal community that is exposued to sea level rise and other hazards. Learners will review the scenario and engage in an AI-based role play designed to exercise and evaluate acquired ability to apply the FIRE framework in a practical setting. Module 6 also includes a final assessment task linked to the scenario, in which learners draft a memo recommending improvements to the government's planned relocation strategy. The assessment task is peer reviewed, first by AI and then by a peer learner.