Cold Temperature Health Risks and Human Rights

This text introduces the reader to the problem of cold temperature exposure of refugees from the perspective of health risks as well as from the perspective of human rights. The arrival of large numbers of displaced persons in Northern Europe in 2015 and the challenge to provide sufficient shelter in a cold climate serve as the point of departure for the research presented here. Combining these approaches in a literature research of primary and secondary materials, the text shows that a wide range of international treaties can be utilized to argue in favor of a positive obligation for states to provide shelter to displaced persons and protection against cold temperatures. Describing the dangers associated with exposure to cold temperatures and investigating a range of binding legal documents, the authors show that international law can be used to force states to take action to solve a simple but life-threatening problem. Particular emphasis is given to the efforts made by Finland to provide shelter.