Climate change demands that we ask what kind of world we want to live in, and is as much a social issue as an environmental one. Everywhere in the world, low-income, politically marginalized communities—historically those least responsible for CO2 emissions—are also those hardest hit by climate change and every aspect of the energy industry, from toxic pollution to resource wars.
We aim to support communities in making a “just transition,” in which social and ecological needs are prioritized in the shift to a low-carbon society. This means opposing policies that cause collateral damage to communities or strengthen existing inequalities. Real solutions to climate chaos are local in nature and come from communities themselves, not from the institutions that got us into this mess.
Climate justice is more than just a goal; it’s a practice in the movement against climate chaos. No effort to create a livable future will succeed without the empowerment of marginalized communities and the dismantling of the systems of oppression that keep us divided.
Read more about Climate Justice:
- The Bali Principles of Climate Justice redefine climate change from a human rights and environmental justice perspective. They were written in 2002, by an international coalition of groups gathered in Johannesburg for the Earth Summit.
- Climate Justice NOW! is a network of organisations and movements from across the globe committed to the fight for social, ecological and gender justice. (Rising Tide is a member)
- The Durban Group for Climate Justice is an international network of independent organisations, individuals and people’s movements who reject the approach to climate change promoted by polluting corporations, financiers, northern governments and economists. (Rising Tide is a member)
- Contours of Climate Justice is an overview publication of the climate justice movement.