Climate Change, Water Management, and Human Rights: : A Comparative Study of India and Somalia, and Prospects for Legal Frameworks

Abstract: Climate change is one of the most important issues in today's world. Its effect reaches beyond geographical borders and deeply connects to human welfare, rights, and possibilities. Climate change affects the climate and all other sectors of development in the world. The complexity of climate justice lies in its ability to recognize and confront the injustice and unfairness of climate change (Schapper, 2018). As a result of the consequences of climate change, water scarcity is becoming an increasingly serious issue in many places of the world today. In our global community, about 2 billion people do not have reliable access to safe drinking water, and 3.6 billion lack proper sanitation services. Additionally, 2.3 billion individuals do not have basic handwashing facilities. These challenges arise from uneven access to water and sanitation, increasing populations, development practices that use a lot of water, unpredictable changes in rainfall, and pollution. Moreover, a staggering 2.3 billion individuals face the absence of fundamental handwashing facilities (World Bank, 2023). To obtain two viewpoints on the concerns, we focused the study on India and Somalia, two countries facing water scarcity. Although they differ in many other aspects, they face comparable water scarcity and climate change challenges. Furthermore, the urgent issue of climate change is important to study as it could worsen tensions, create more conflicts, and hurt the most vulnerable groups. Examining this matter is crucial for creating frameworks and policies to increase resilience, safeguard vulnerable communities, and protect human rights. The definition of human rights is basic entitlements for everyone, no matter race, gender, sexuality, or who they are. We follow the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) definition. The theory is that regardless of where they are from or who they are, they are treated daily and have the same opportunities (United Nations, 2023). This research aims to understand and address the complex correlations between climate change, water resources, human rights, and the legal framework for climate justice.