| dc.description.abstract | As a contributor to climate change, deforestation has a detrimental effect in human beings’ health and living conditions. Some groups of people are especially vulnerable to these consequences. One clear example, is the one of children living in indigenous communities, who are doubly victimized: both by the more serious risks climate change represents to infants and youngsters, and by the threat which it poses towards the culture and livelihoods of indigenous peoples’ communities. As an important carbon sink, the Amazon rainforest has a fundamental role in our ability to tackle climate change. Moreover, it is of paramount importance for the livelihoods of the numerous indigenous communities that inhabit the region. This research analyses States’ obligations under international law to protect this rainforest regarding the right to health of indigenous children. The findings show that there exist clear obligations in this respect under international human rights law, both in the UN and in the Inter-American systems. Furthermore, international environmental law obligations play an important role in providing elements to determine the standard of care which the duty bearers must uphold. The scientific evidence acknowledged in the Paris Agreement reflects the sense of urgency which the climate change challenge needs to be approached with. Thus, the Amazon States must act accordingly in order to ensure the fulfilment of human rights, inter alia, the right to health. | eng |