limate change has been described as “the greatest threat to human rights of the 21st century.” The direct and indirect effects of climate change, and the wide range of responses to it, all have significant implications for human rights. Rising temperatures will lead to water stress, affecting both the right to water and to food, predicted increases in disease will set back advances in the right to health, inundations from sea level rise threaten the right to housing and the right to an adequate standard of living – to name just a few expected impacts. The two parallel agendas of climate change and human rights are finally beginning to converge into more joined up approaches to addressing these challenges. Each area has frameworks for prompting action by the private sector, putting responsibility at the heart of the agenda. Human rights can add value, and are increasingly seen as crucial, to addressing climate change. This Briefing explores the synergies that can be gained from combining the narratives and practices of the two fields. Given the urgency and magnitude of the climate crisis, the good news is that synergies – whereby the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts – do exist and more are likely to be discovered as practice evolves. This is not yet well charted territory, given that the vast majority of approaches and tools to address climate change focus almost exclusively on technical issues. For now, this Briefing provides an overview to begin to stimulate further thinking and discussion.