communities should be provided with all information on the nature of the despoliation, on its actual and potential environmental and health impacts and on measures to be taken. 34. People are also entitled to full, adequate and effective compensation for the consequences of environmental damage arising from industrial activities. Specifically, they should be compensated for material loss, livelihood disruptions including opportunity costs and illness as well as emotional distress resulting from such environmental damage. Where environmental damage causes irreparable harm to the health of affected people, they should have access to affordable health care and sustainable support and assistance for as long as their conditions require it. They should also be provided with support for the rehabilitation of their livelihoods. 35. Similarly, in such cases of environmental despoliation or pollution from industrial activities, people are entitled to the measures necessary for the cleaning up and restoration of the affected environment. Despoliation of the environment may continue after mine closure or when the extractive processes have come to an end. The protective measures for affected persons continue to apply equally in such cases. 36. Under Article 24, people are also entitled to the right to justice. They should therefore have access to appropriate judicial and non-judicial mechanisms for raising their grievances and seeking appropriate remedy, similar to that discussed under paragraph 24 above. III Obligations of States 37. Under the African Charter, States Parties to the Charter bear both general obligations and specific duties with respect to the rights set out in the African Charter. As stipulated in Article 1 of the Charter, the general obligation requires States Parties to “recognise” the rights, duties and freedoms enshrined in the Charter, and “to adopt legislative or other measures to give effect to them.” These obligations apply to Articles 21 and 24 of the African Charter as well. States are accordingly duty bound to give legal application to these rights. To this end, State Parties should incorporate the rights in these Articles into their national law. This is the first part of the general obligation of states. 30 |  African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights