A/HRC/32/23 potential for health co-benefits from policies that address climate change.58 A rights-based approach has a crucial role to play in identifying and implementing effective climate actions that benefit people and the planet. 52. For instance, a study by the World Resources Institute has found that legal recognition of community forest rights can substantially reduce carbon dioxide emissions from deforestation.59 Importantly, such actions also protect traditional livelihoods and access to traditional foods and medicines with positive health benefits for local communities. In this way, a rights-based approach has the potential to address cross-cutting issues relating to health, sustainable development, natural resource management and climate change, while empowering the most marginalized. It is imperative for States to employ rights-based approaches across all aspects of climate action at the international, regional, national and local levels, if they are to successfully meet their human rights obligations and effectively address the threat posed by climate change. VI. Conclusions and recommendations 53. Participants in the Human Rights Council panel discussion on climate change and the right to health and those who responded to the call for inputs to the present study overwhelmingly agreed that climate change has substantial negative impacts on the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. In order to fulfil the right to health, Governments, civil society, the private sector, international partners and individuals must collaborate to protect the environment and achieve sustainable development that meets the needs of present and future generations. 54. Since climate change directly contributes to the violation of human rights, States have an affirmative obligation to take measures to mitigate climate change; to prevent negative human rights impacts; to ensure that all persons, particularly those in vulnerable situations, have adequate capacity to adapt to changing climactic conditions; and to regulate the private sector in order to mitigate its contribution to climate change and ensure respect for human rights. 55. The negative health impacts of climate change will increase exponentially with every incremental increase in warming. Limiting warming to the greatest extent possible and achieving the target of 1.5oC above pre-industrial levels should therefore be the objective of all climate action. Beyond setting and achieving an ambitious goal, protecting the right to health from climate change will require climate mitigation and adaptation measures that are rights-based, effective and participatory and benefit the vulnerable. 56. This starts with effective laws and policies at all levels and ends with effective monitoring and implementation. Many States reported that they had constitutional protection of health and the environment and employed concrete measures focusing on mitigation of and adaptation to the negative impacts of climate change on human health. Further analysis of those policies and actions is needed to identify and promote good practices. States should integrate policies on health and human rights in their national action plans for climate mitigation and adaptation, in the intended nationally 58 59 16 See WHO, “Promoting health while mitigating climate change”, Technical briefing for the World Health Organization Conference on Health and Climate Change (27-29 August 2014). See C. Stevens and others, Securing Rights, Combating Climate Change: How Strengthening Community Forest Rights Mitigates Climate Change (World Resources Institute, 2014).