‘Climate change is happening now and to all of us. No country or community is immune. And, as is always the case, the poor and vulnerable are the first to suffer and the worst hit.’ UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
All of us will be affected by the climate crisis, but not all of us will be affected equally. Those hit the hardest will mostly be those who have done the least to cause the crisis, with the least capacity to adapt.
This is particularly true for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are already experiencing the impacts of climate change and fossil fuel extraction on community, culture and country. It is also true for Indigenous peoples the world over, people in the majority world, people of colour, poor communities, fossil fuel communities, people living with disability, young people and future generations.
Climate justice demands that communities of privilege who have benefitted the most from using fossil fuels do the bulk of the heavy lifting to reduce emissions and to fund solutions tackling climate change. It is also crucial that the voices of those most affected by the climate crisis are amplified, listened to, and centred in the formulation of climate change policies, and mitigation and adaptation strategies.
To deliver climate justice, climate policies need to consider four key issues:
Gender equality. Because of the different social and cultural roles we play, men and women are affected differently by climate change. Men are far more likely to emigrate from a climate affected region, leaving women providing for their community with an increased workload under already difficult conditions.
Intergenerational equity. The actions, and inactions, of today’s generations impact on future generations and their right to a liveable future.
Cultural integrity. When climate change forces communities to become unstable or even to move, this has cultural impacts. Traditional ways of life are threatened, and migration challenges the identity, sovereignty and heritage or people leaving their homelands.
Human rights. Those least responsible for causing the climate crisis are often those hit hardest by the climate crisis and are the least able to adapt to the changes. Climate change worsens existing deficiencies, exacerbates inequalities and creates new vulnerabilities.
Working for climate justice means working for all people to have access to a safe climate and healthy environment – regardless of where you’re born, the year you’re born or the colour of your skin – and for all people to be empowered to create solutions to the climate crisis that work for them.
Watch: Climate Justice by The Point, NITV (beginning at 4.00)
Read: Climate Justice, Mary Robinson