Honduras
I. Introduction
1. Honduras, one of the poorest coastal nations in the Western Hemisphere, is vulnerable to climate change due to its high exposure to climate-related hazards (hurricanes, tropical storms, floods, droughts, landslides). The Global Climate Risk Index 2021[1] ranks Honduras among the world’s most vulnerable countries. Yet, Honduras is responsible for merely 0.02 percent of the global cumulative carbon dioxide emission. The effects of climate change on Honduras and its human rights are therefore largely due to the actions of high-emitter states.
2. The climate in Honduras has changed dramatically. Since the 1960s, the average annual temperature has increased by 0.6°C per decade, with the greatest warming in the dry season. Heavy rainfall events have also increased by 1.2% per decade, yet overall annual rainfall remains inconsistent, with reduced rainfall in the northwest and southeast. Additionally, the frequency and intensity of El Niño/La Niña events have increased. Climate projections indicate that by 2050 temperatures could increase by 1-2.5°C.[2]
3. Climate change will therefore have significant human rights implications. Environmental degradation and loss of economic resources, including from ocean impacts and agriculture decline, threaten the self-determination of the peoples of Honduras, particularly Indigenous communities. The right to health, adequate shelter, and life are increasingly at risk, in violation of Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and Article 12 of The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).
4. In accordance with Inter-American case law,[3] Honduras must ensure non-discriminatory treatment of Indigenous Peoples and take special measures to protect their existence and survival.
5. Furthermore, Honduras may pursue claims against high-emissions States for breaches of international law related to climate damage and can seek reparation (including compensation, as applicable) for losses and damages. Honduras should explore legal actions under international environmental law, human rights law, and State responsibility doctrines to hold high-emitting nations accountable. If successful, such claims could establish precedents for climate justice and secure financial compensation or mitigation commitments from historically high-emission countries.
II. Impact
A. Natural disasters
6. Honduras experiences frequent tropical storms, hurricanes, floods, landslides, and droughts, damaging infrastructure, crops and water supplies.
7. Over 50 percent of Honduras’ population lives in rural areas, with 65 percent experiencing poverty.[4] Most rural residents rely on rainfed agriculture as their main source of income. Poverty is especially concentrated in the southern and western regions, known as the Dry Corridor, where food insecurity is a persistent challenge. Additionally, 58 percent of children under the age of five suffer from chronic undernutrition.[5]
8. The intensity and frequency of hydrometeorological hazards—to which Honduras is particularly exposed due to its geographical proximity to the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean—have caused severe environmental degradation, affecting the agricultural output of the country.
9. Temperatures increases and rainfall declines have intensified droughts, fueling frequent wildfires, worsening air quality and accelerating deforestation. Fires caused 12% of tree cover loss in Honduras between 2001 and 2023.[6]
10. Air pollution in major cities, worsened by wildfires and climate-driven weather conditions, exceeds the World Health Organization’s safety limits by nearly 50 times.[7] This has led to respiratory health problems and disruptions in the education, forcing school closures or requiring children to stay home due to poor air quality, with implications on the rights to health and education.
11. We encourage Honduras to adopt human rights-based frameworks to safeguard rights to life, health, and shelter during disasters. This is consistent with Articles 4 and 5 of the International Law Commission (ILC)’s draft articles on the protection of persons in the event of disasters. Under ILC Draft Article 11, Honduras has an obligation to seek international assistance when disasters exceed its national response capacity. Therefore, we urge Honduras to assess disaster risks, adopt a human rights-based approach, and develop a clear framework for external assistance requests in climate emergencies.
B. Agriculture
12. With over 27% of its total land area dedicated to agricultural use and an economy heavily reliant on it, Honduras suffered devastating losses from Hurricanes Eta and Iota in 2020, with the sector losing nearly 80 percent of its output.[8]
13. Irregular rainfall patterns, marked by shorter and less frequent rainy seasons, have intensified droughts, reducing crop yields and worsening food insecurity. Farmers experience unreliable harvests, while cattle owners in the Dry corridor lack sufficient feed during prolonged droughts.[9]
14. Projected extreme weather events and prolonged droughts will likely increase crop losses, particularly in the lowlands and the southwestern Dry Corridor. These changes may cause more crop pests and diseases, rainfed crop failures, and a greater reliance on irrigation. Soil productivity may decline due to water stress, runoff, nutrient leaching, and erosion. Additionally, lower altitudes may become less suitable for crops like coffee, contributing to higher food prices, increased food insecurity, and migration.[10]
15. By 2050, maize yields are expected to decline by 12% and bean yields by 32% from 2000 levels. Rising temperatures will also shrink the area suitable for coffee cultivation, the country's main export, forcing farmers to shift their crops to higher altitudes, potentially worsening land degradation and deforestation in previously uncultivated areas.[11]
16. The right to food is protected under Article 11 of the ICESCR. Honduras should consider climate change adaptation measures which strengthen this right.
17. While article 2(1) of the ICESCR obligates states to take steps, individually and through international assistance and co-operation, to achieve full realization of these human rights rights, States are also restricted from taking deliberate measures that deteriorate of the current level of food security. This means that high-emitter States may also bear responsibility to the extent their conduct has undermined Honduras’ ability to ensure food security.
18. We encourage Honduras to consider climate impacts on the right to food and self-determination as forms of loss and damage, entitling Honduras to seek reparation under the UNFCCC climate regime and Fund for responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), or under general rules of international law.
19. Additionally, Honduras should integrate a human rights-based approach into adaptation policies, ensuring that Indigenous Peoples’ rights to adequate food and self-determination, enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), are protected.
C. Sea Level Rise and Endangered Coastal Zones
20. Climate change-induced sea level rise accelerates land erosion, worsens water scarcity, and disrupts coastal industries such as fisheries and tourism.[12] Saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers is reducing access to clean water, exacerbating existing year-round water shortages and rationing that, for instance, is already occurring in Tegucigalpa.
21. On the southern coast of Honduras, where coastal tourism sustains many livelihoods, climate change is causing the shoreline to retreat by more than one meter each year, flooding houses, restaurants, and hotels, displacing the residents and pushing tourists away. As tourism declines, small business owners are losing their source of livelihood.[13]
22. The scarcity of food supplies and rising ocean temperatures have led to overfishing and coral reef bleaching. Warming ocean temperatures trigger coral bleaching, killing reefs and driving fish away. Some projections suggest that the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the world’s second-largest coral reef, could collapse by mid-century.[14] On the northern coast, coral reefs that are vital to the survival of the surrounding ecosystem are on the verge of destruction. Fishermen, whose livelihoods depend on these reefs, are struggling to find good fish, jeopardizing both food security and income.
23. These impacts violate the right to food and self-determination. Honduras’ water resources are protected by the principle of permeant sovereignty over natural resources as well as article 1(2) of the ICCPR and ICESCR, which prohibits denying people the means of subsistence. We encourage Honduras to seek reparations for losses related to marine resource depletion and territorial loss due to rising sea levels and to protect its self-determination in the face of accelerating climate change impacts.
D. Deforestation
24. The scarcity of food and agricultural resources has led to an expansion in fuel wood collection and forest conversion. These ecosystems are rapidly degrading due to illegal land invasions in Indigenous territories and protected areas, unregulated logging, agricultural and livestock expansion, and infrastructure projects like roads construction. With strain on agricultural and coastal industries, forests are increasingly co-opted for commercial use.[15]
25. To safeguard the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, we urge Honduras to reevaluate agreements with extractive industries and if necessary, consider a deforestation boycott and ensure that all resource development aligns with environmental and human right. Additionally, Honduras should assess the long-term impacts of deforestation and explore stronger regulatory measures to prevent exploitative development projects. Given the disproportionate impact on Indigenous communities, Honduras should consider targeted protections for Indigenous lands under international human rights law.
26. We invite Honduras to consider how deforestation impacts the right to food and the right of self-determination described herein and consider them as potential forms of loss and damage, entitling Honduras to reparation under the UNFCCC climate regime, or under general rules of international law.
E. Infrastructure
27. Climate change damages critical infrastructure, including roads, water supplies, and sanitation services.Changes in storm patterns in Honduras could worsen physical damage to dams and power lines.
28. Additionally, rising temperatures and reduced annual rainfall are threatening hydropower production, disrupting energy supply networks and hindering the ability to meet growing energy demands, resulting in significant economic losses. Currently, around 40% of Honduras' electricity comes from renewable sources, primarily hydropower. However, climate change threatens the target to achieve an 80% share of renewable energy in the country’s total electricity generation by 2038, up from 60% in 2022, as reduced rainfall, prolonged droughts, and increased evaporation diminish water inflows to hydroelectric systems. For example, projections for the Lempa River Basin, a key source of hydropower, indicate a 20% reduction in reservoir inflows, potentially cutting hydropower capacity by up to 53% by 2070.[16]
29. Damage to essential infrastructure such as hygiene and sanitation services and warmer temperatures creates ideal conditions for the proliferation of vector- and waterborne diseases, such as dengue and malaria. These diseases disproportionately affect poor communities. This carries implications for the right to health under Article 25.1 of the UNHDR and Article 12 of the ICESCR.
30. We urge Honduras to consider how damaged infrastructure can disrupt economic activities, leading to additional economic losses. We encourage Honduras to consider the impacts of climate change on its economic self-determination and seek relevant reparations.
F. Migration
31. The impacts of the climate emergency and environmental degradation in Honduras place the lives, personal integrity, and health of the Hondurans at risk, especially in poorer communities and for Indigenous and marginalized peoples, leading to loss of livelihoods and increased displacement.
32. Between 2008 and 2022, 56 disaster events were reported in Honduras, amongst which storms and floods combined displaced about 1.1 million people. In November 2020, hurricanes Eta and Iota devastated large swathes of Honduras, affecting about 4.7 million people, almost half of the population.[17]
33. Many Hondurans displaced by extreme weather events often end up in overcrowded, informal settlements with limited access to housing, water, and sanitation. These conditions increase vulnerability to gang violence and exploitation, violating their rights to free movement, residence and freedom from arbitrary deprivation of property. Additionally, the loss of ancestral lands and resources due to climate change felt by Indigenous Peoples has implications for the right of self-determination protected by international law.
34. Honduras has an obligation to take “special measures” to protect Indigenous Peoples from climate change impacts under Inter-American case law. The State’s failure to provide basic infrastructure and services in rural areas, predominantly inhabited by Indigenous groups after disasters violates their right to self-determination under Article 3 of UNDRIP, as well as Common Article 1 of the ICCPR and ICESCR. Article 27 of the ICCPR is also implicated, protecting Indigenous cultural connections to lands, territories, and resources. For instance, a community of Afro-Indigenous Garífuna people on the northern Caribbean coast of Honduras, socially and economically marginalized for centuries, face a new challenge as storms and floods hit their region with alarming regularity.
35. Women face heightened risks of human rights violations as a result of climate change displacement.Patriarchal norms in Honduras relegate women to the domestic or private sphere and in most in most rural households, women and girls are responsible for collecting water.[18] Droughts force women to travel longer distances in search of water, increasing their risk of being sexually assaulted, raped, or kidnapped. Due to increasingly frequent and prolonged contact with contaminated water, as a result of environmental degradation, women are disproportionately affected by conditions such as cancers, skin diseases, and miscarriages. This is a violation of their rights to life, health, personal integrity, and cultural identity, protected under Article 3 of the UDHR, Article 6 of the ICCPR, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). These violations contribute to displacement when women have to relocate for safety or in search of resources for domestic chores.
36. The primary obligation to ensure the human rights of internally displaced peoples (IDPs) lies with the state in which they are displaced. This includes the fundamental principle of non-discrimination, meaning all IDPs must be treated equally regardless of their background or circumstances, including race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or political opinion. The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement affirm that IDPs have the right to the same protections and freedoms under international and domestic law as other citizens within their country, without discrimination. Moreover, The Cartagena Declaration on Refugees, extends the definition of a refugee to include those fleeing generalized violence, human rights violations, or other circumstances that have seriously disturbed public order.[19] Displacement as a result of above enumerated human rights violations would also entitle IDPs and other affected groups to refugee rights as recognized by the UNHCR 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol.[20]
III. Recommendations
37. We urge Honduras to center human rights and human dignity in its disaster responses. To ensure non-discrimination in protecting all Hondurans from climate impacts. Honduras must take special measures to protect Indigenous Peoples from the effects of climate change.
38. Honduras must further implement policies to safeguard a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, particularly in the context of deforestation. We encourage Honduras to assess losses and damages from climate change and explore potential reparations from high-emission States for centuries of emissions-related harm.
39. We also recommend that Honduras explore litigation in the international court system and in domestic courts of export partners, such as the U.S. where the Alien Tort Statute provides general jurisdiction to Honduran victims of customary international law violations. Honduras could also advance “ecocide” as an international law, as recommended to the International Criminal Court by the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the context of climate change. Finally, Honduras could explore potential international law challenges that borrow the logic of the recent Article 8 case at the European Court of Human Rights for climate inaction.
40. In light of violations to Hondurans’ rights to life and to a standard of living adequate for their health and well-being, we urge Honduras to seek urgent commitments from high-emitter States to immediately cease the burning of fossil fuels and to implement a just transition. We call on Honduras to explore climate reparations from all countries who import resources from Honduras, past and present, including adequate compensation for the harms caused. These reparations can be sought pursuant to Article 8 of the Paris Agreement as well as under generational international law (including breaches of the right of self-determination) for losses to human lives, human capital (due to widespread food and water insecurity, conditions of poverty caused by the droughts), loss of revenue from agricultural exports, incalculable harms from deforestation and biodiversity loss as a result of climate caused deforestation, endangered coastal zones and coral reefs, and far more.
[1] Honduras – Environmental Technologies, Int’l Trade Admin., U.S. Dep’t of Com., https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/honduras-environmental-technologies (January 05, 2025).
[2] Climate Change in Honduras, UNEP GRID-Geneva, https://dicf.unepgrid.ch/honduras/climate-change (last visited January 05, 2025).
[3] Case of the Saramaka People v. Suriname, Preliminary Objections, Merits, Reparations, and Costs, Judgment, Inter-Am. Ct. H.R. (ser. C) No. 172 (Nov. 28, 2007); Case of the Kichwa Indigenous People of Sarayaku v. Ecuador, Merits and Reparations, Judgment, Inter-Am. Ct. H.R. (ser. C) No. 245 (June 27, 2012).
[4] Honduras – Vulnerability, World Bank Climate Knowledge Portal, https://climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org/country/honduras/vulnerability (last visited January 05, 2025).
[5] Id.
[6] Honduras – Dashboard: Fires, Global Forest Watch, available at https://www.globalforestwatch.org/dashboards/country/HND/?category=fires (last visited January 05, 2025).
[7] Air Pollution in Honduran City Is 50 Times Higher Than Guidelines, BBC Newsround (May 19, 2024), available at https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/cjmk9mlvr91o.
[8] Id.
[9] Snapshots: How the Climate Crisis Is Hurting People in Central America, The New Humanitarian (Sept. 11, 2023), https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/video/2023/09/11/snapshots-how-climate-crisis-hurting-people-central-america.
[10] Climate Change in Honduras, UNEP GRID-Geneva, https://dicf.unepgrid.ch/honduras/climate-change (last visited January 05, 2025).
[11] Id.
[12] Supra note 10.
[13] Id.
[14] Supra note 11.
[15] Honduras’ Forests Under Threat, Forests of the World, available at https://www.forestsoftheworld.org/local-initiatives/honduras/
[16] Supra note 11.
[17] “Honduras,” Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, accessed December 18, 2024, https://www.internal-displacement.org/countries/honduras.; Siegmann, Katharina, “Honduras, moving towards becoming a more resilient and inclusive country in the face of climate change,” The World Bank, May 25, 2023, accessed November 8, 2024.
[18] Honduras - Climate Change, Human Rights Violations, and Forced Displacement, Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, December 2023.
[19] Cartagena Declaration on Refugees, adopted by the Colloquium on the International Protection of Refugees in Central America, Mexico, and Panama, Nov. 22, 1984, reprinted in Annual Report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights: 1984–1985, OEA/Ser.L/V/II.66, doc. 10, rev. 1, at 190 (1985).
[20] U.N. High Comm’r for Refugees, Rights and Duties, https://help.unhcr.org/faq/how-can-we-help-you/rights-and-duties (last visited Mar. 29, 2025).
Link on the United Nations System
Universal Periodic Review Fourth Cycle - Honduras - Reference Documents on the United Nations System