Protecting the Right to Housing Amid Climate Change

This post explains how climate change is intensifying threats to the human right to adequate housing, with a sharp focus on informal settlements.

Drawing on three decades of observing urban policy and disaster response, I describe the scale of the problem, why residents are especially exposed, the legal and moral obligations of states, and practical, rights-based actions — including adaptation and financing priorities — needed now.

Table of Contents

Why informal settlements are on the climate frontlines

Informal settlements are frequently built in flood-prone, steep, or otherwise hazardous locations because land is cheaper or simply available there.

Today nearly 1.1 billion people — almost a quarter of the world’s urban population — live in these conditions, and that number is projected to triple within 30 years without urgent intervention.

Living conditions and vulnerabilities

The combination of poverty, insecure tenure, and substandard infrastructure creates a feedback loop that magnifies climate risk.

Key vulnerabilities include:

Poor-quality housing materials that fail during storms and floods.

Limited access to safe water, sanitation, and electricity, worsening health impacts after disasters.

Insecure land tenure that discourages investment in resilient upgrades and leaves households exposed to forced evictions.

Concentrated exposure of women, children, older people, and persons with disabilities to unsafe environments and inadequate sanitation.

Human rights obligations and policy priorities

States hold binding human-rights duties to ensure the right to adequate housing is respected, protected, and fulfilled for all residents, including those in informal settlements.

This is not merely good practice — it is an obligation that requires concrete policy choices and resource allocation.

Policy imperatives for equitable resilience

Effective policy must combine legal protections with technical upgrades and meaningful participation.

Secure tenure: Granting legal recognition and protection against eviction empowers residents to invest in safer homes.

Prohibit forced evictions: Evictions heighten vulnerability and often violate human-rights standards unless conducted lawfully with adequate consultation and compensation.

Participation and accountability: Residents must co-design solutions and have channels to hold governments accountable for delivery.

Adaptation measures that protect lives and homes

Upgrading informal settlements should integrate climate adaptation directly into housing and infrastructure projects.

Practical, low-regret measures reduce immediate risk and build longer-term resilience.

Practical interventions to consider

On-the-ground upgrades should be pragmatic, community-led, and technically sound.

Drainage and stormwater management to reduce flooding and standing water.

Elevation of homes or critical infrastructure where feasible to avoid recurrent inundation.

Nature-based solutions — such as wetland restoration, urban green spaces, and mangrove rehabilitation — to buffer storm surges and improve local microclimates.

Upgrading water, sanitation, and electricity systems with resilient materials and decentralized designs.

Financing and international responsibility

While local authorities must lead planning and delivery, wealthier nations carry a particular responsibility to finance adaptation and address loss and damage because of their historic emissions.

Adequate and predictable funding enables long-term upgrades rather than short-term relief.

What governments and funders must do now

Successful action requires coordination across scales.

Persistent political will is essential.

Prioritize grants and concessional finance for community-led upgrading and nature-based adaptation.

Create transparent funding windows for loss-and-damage in climate finance architecture.

Support technical assistance and capacity-building for municipal governments and local organizations.

Here is the source article for this story: How do we protect the right to housing amid the growing threat of climate change?