By Morgen Makombo Sikwila
Climate justice is about realizing a future in which the poorest and most marginalised people have significantly improved their well-being and can enjoy their human rights through greater resilience to the climate emergency, increased equality and a global temperature limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Climate justice means putting equity and human rights at the core of decision-making and action on climate change. The concept has been widely used to refer to the unequal historical responsibility that countries and communities bear in relation to the climate crisis.
It suggests that the countries, industries, businesses, and people that have become wealthy from emitting large amounts of greenhouse gases have a responsibility to help those affected by climate change, particularly the most vulnerable countries and communities, who often are the ones that have contributed the least to the crisis.
There are many facets to climate justice. Even within the same country, the impacts of climate change may be felt unevenly due to structural inequalities based on race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status.
Women are more severely affected by climate change impacts, because they have access to fewer resources to adapt and cope with abrupt changes. People with disabilities are at increased risk of the adverse impacts of climate change, including threats to their health, food security, access to water energy, and sanitation, and livelihoods, particularly in developing countries.
Indigenous Peoples, who protect 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity, are facing increasing threats and risks to their lives, livelihoods, and traditional knowledge.
The impacts of climate change and the resources needed to address climate change impacts are distributed unequally around the world. Low-income countries, and vulnerable populations within those countries, are more susceptible to climate-induced loss and damage.
Globally, the 10 percent of households with the highest per capita emissions contribute 34–45 percent of global household greenhouse gas emissions, while the bottom 50 percent contribute 13–15 percent.
Children and young people today have not contributed to the climate crisis in a significant way but will bear the full force of climate change impacts as they advance through life. Because their human rights are threatened by the decisions of previous generations, their rights must be centred in all climate decision-making and action.
People who rely on biodiversity for survival are no longer able to produce food; people who can only afford basic shelter have their homes destroyed through repeated cyclones; people who don’t have any insurance or savings must rebuild their lives from nothing after disasters.
Reversal in global carbon emissions have not been reached and global temperatures keep rising. The impact of climate emergency increases the gaps between rich and poor and has a disproportionate impact on people living with disabilities, women and girls.
Climate change is a human rights issue. All people should have the agency to live life with dignity. The climate crisis is causing loss of lives, livelihoods, language, and culture, putting many at risk of food and water shortages, and triggering displacement and conflict.
The climate crisis impedes the right to good health as well. Rising temperatures, increased frequency of extreme weather events, polluted air and water contribute to significant health impacts, including heat stress, disease outbreaks, malnutrition, and trauma from having lived through disasters.
The impacts are more severe for vulnerable populations who have limited means to adapt to climate change impacts. Between 2010 and to date, human mortality from floods, droughts, and storms has 15 times higher in highly vulnerable regions, compared to regions with very low vulnerability.
The climate crisis also has impacts on a country’s education system. When temperatures are too high or extreme weather events hit, for example, it can damage infrastructure and damage educational institutions, threaten the ability of parents to send their children to school, impacting the futures of young generations.
Climate justice is also an important aspect of just transition toward a sustainable future. Local communities, especially informal workers and other vulnerable and marginalized populations can be harmed in this transition if not protected and consulted. For example, there are increasing concerns around human rights violations related to mining for minerals needed to produce batteries for electric vehicles.
Currently, those who have least contributed to the climate crisis are being disproportionately affected by it. Climate justice suggests that the responsibilities in addressing climate change should be divided according to who is contributing most to the problem, while addressing systemic, socioeconomic, and intergenerational inequalities.
The voices and demands of vulnerable communities and groups are being increasingly acknowledged on the international agenda. Activists are taking to the streets around the world to demand change. Young climate leaders have been a powerful force in driving attention to issues of intergenerational climate justice.
In 2022, the UN General Assembly declared that access to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a universal human right. The declaration recognizes that the impact of climate change, the unsustainable management and use of natural resources, the pollution of air, land and water, the unsound management of chemicals and waste, and the resulting loss in biodiversity interfere with the effective enjoyment of all human rights. It is expected to be a catalyst for action and to empower ordinary people to hold their governments accountable.
Students, youths, and communities are increasingly taking governments and companies to court to address the climate and environment-related harms and injustices they are facing.
At COP27, an historic decision for new funding arrangements, including a new fund, was established to help particularly vulnerable countries and communities respond to climate-induced loss and damage. This will help to provide new and additional finance specifically for addressing loss and damage for those most impacted.
It is clear the push for climate justice will only gain momentum as time goes on and the impacts of climate change become more pronounced. Climate justice requires a global transition to a low-carbon economy which means finding new, less damaging ways of living (e.g. renewable energy and reduction in use of energy). This needs to happen in a way that is sensitive to the needs of everybody, rich or poor, wherever they live.
The rights of the poorest and most vulnerable people should be heard at international climate emergency negotiations and when planning and delivering projects that help people adapt and become more resilient to climate shocks. This includes helping people learn new farming techniques that help them withstand the impacts of recurring disasters. It also means securing people’s rights and access to valuable natural resources. With the right knowledge and sufficient means, people can take the necessary steps to safeguard their own lives, incomes and futures. By strengthening the vulnerable’s voices, it ensures they have a stronger say in decisions that affect their lives.
Morgen Makombo Sikwila
MSc Peace and Governance
BSc Counselling
Diploma in Environmental Health
Certificate in Marketing Management
email: morgensikwilam@gmail.com
Phone Number: 0772252478
