Climate Justice
Emphasis on climate justice is now a critical element of most climate change mitigation efforts. It is part of Extinction Rebellion U.S.’s demands, it’s embedded in the Green New Deal, and woven into the United Nation’s approach. On the surface, it is the idea that changes made to address climate change should be implemented in a socially just manner.
More deeply though, as one understands how we have arrived at this climate crisis and what is needed to stop climate change, it becomes clear how the fight for social justice, civil rights, and equality and for the transformation of our energy system are deeply intertwined. We see how environmental degradation and destruction, the impacts of natural disasters made more frequent and intense by climate change, and the recovery efforts after such disasters all affect marginalized, poor, and oppressed communities the worst. If we value humanity and all the life on our planet, the concerns of more vulnerable communities and and those with fewer resources must be integral to how we address climate change. Their voices and participation must be part of the change. If we value the communities of marginalized people in the U.S. and around the world, we cannot dig up their lands, poison their water, and pollute their air.
On this page, we gather information that focuses on climate justice both locally and globally. You can read and hear first person narratives, get an institutional and cultural overview, and find other books and articles.
A lot of the countries and groups of people that are putting in a lot of climate work will disproportionately feel the effects of climate change… And they’re not even the people that created this mess in the first place.
– Elsa Mengistu
Vox 10/11/19First Person
To read about more indigenous climate activists, go to Spotlight on Indigenous Activists, by the Lakota People’s Law Project.
The Poor People’s Campaign also includes climate justice in their platform. Listen at 1:25:54 of their June 20th, 2020, broadcast. You may also want to look at their Illinois fact sheet.
Institutions, Broader Culture
The United Nations has identified 17 Sustainable Development Goals. “The 17 Goals are all interconnected, and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that we achieve them all by 2030.” The goals include: no poverty (goal 1), gender equality (goal 5), affordable and clean energy (goal 7), responsible consumption and production (goal 12). The Thirteenth goal is Climate Action.
Sanya Carley and David M. Konisky wrote a review article published in the science journal Nature Energy, The justice and equity implications of the clean energy transition. They “review evidence about just transition policies and programmes, primarily from cases in the Global North, and draw conclusions about what insights are still needed to understand the justice and equity dimensions of the transition, and to ensure that no one is left behind.” Unfortunately, there is a paywall for the full article. (If you are very keen on reading it, email the authors for a copy. Scientist are always happy to share their work!)
Other books and articles
