UNIVERSITY OF UYO JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES

Across Africa, the degradation of the environment poses significant threats to the natural rights of the individuals, such as right to life, equality, fair hearing and dignity. These individuals often bear the brunt of pollution, toxic waste importation, land grabbing for investment purposes, resources exploitation and the impacts of climate change, leading to adverse health effects, displacement, and loss of livelihoods. It is on the basis of these problems, the paper critically discusses the problem of human rights in environmental injustice; It attempts to show how the problem of environmental injustice has affected not only the community, but also the rights of the individuals in the community. Through human rights approach, the paper identifies how some environmental problems such as: overexploitation of resources, climatic change, global warming, toxic waste, importation, and land grabbing, have affected the rights of individuals; it establishes a symmetric between the natural rights of the individuals and environmental injustices, which affects the sustainable development of the African societies. To tackle these challenges, the paper argues for the adoption of deliberative democracy, which serves as a theoretical framework that highlights the importance of reasoned discourse, public deliberation, and the inclusion of diverse perspectives in shaping policies and actions. By integrating this framework into the pursuit of sustainable development, African nations can ensure the protection of human rights, prioritize environmental justice, and make decisions collectively and transparently.

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