ABSTRACT
Human rights treaty bodies, and especially the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), have been innovative in interpreting human rights provisions as protecting environmental interests. However, many intriguing questions still remain. One of them is whether the concept of sustainable development could integrate human rights and the environment. The focus of this chapter will be on the possibilities of operationalizing long-term responsibility within the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) regime. The main argument is that when promoting sustainable development the role of human rights should not be overstated. As will be shown, human rights in general and the ECHR in particular are currently capable of enhancing merely weaker forms of sustainability.
