By Leen Assire | Activism Junior Editor
“What do we want?”
“Climate Justice!”
“When do we want it?”
“Now!”
Over the past few weeks, these words were echoed by thousands of environmental activists from all over the world ahead of the annual climate conference (the COP26) in Glasgow.
Even though it seems like the climate emergency is finally getting the attention it deserves, so many people still refrain from considering themselves as ‘environmental activists’ and there is a general attitude (within our Arab societies especially) that environmentalism’s right place on an activist’s list of concerns comes at the bottom. This notion however, could not be more disconnected from our reality.
Aside from the fact that the climate catastrophe is already claiming the lives of millions, whether that be through rising sea levels in Bangladesh or through climate-induced famine in Madagascar, the environmental crisis at its core is a social justice issue. All pre-existing social inequalities (racism, sexism, classism, etc.) are set to be exacerbated by climate change. This can be well demonstrated when taking the example of COVID-19.
When COVID-19 ravaged the entire globe, its effects were not the same. People living in countries that were already suffering from compounded crises (like political or economic instability) got hit by COVID’s impacts disproportionately. And even within countries, the people most affected were those that belonged to minority or vulnerable groups. So yes, the virus and climate change are scientific phenomena, but we do not live in a vacuum, and social context matters. Crises are not separate entities, they build up.
With climate change, the people on the frontlines are those who reside in the so-called developing countries. They are the ones who have contributed the least to the climate crisis, yet are the ones paying for it with their lives and livelihoods. Wealthy countries (mainly the Global North) are responsible for almost 80% of global carbon emissions. The richest 1% are responsible for double the greenhouse gas emissions of the poorest 50%. Yet again, the most vulnerable people are the ones least responsible and most directly affected. That is how unjust the climate crisis is.
When environmental activists chant “climate justice, now!” They are demanding those who fueled (and are still fueling) the climate catastrophe to step up and take responsibility by cutting down on their emissions drastically and delivering finance and aid to the most vulnerable countries and communities. They are calling for reparations to be paid to the most affected people and areas to help them mitigate and adapt to climate-induced loss and damage. Most importantly, climate justice advocates acknowledge that climate change is a symptom of a broken system, and cannot be properly tackled without challenging the inequalities that keep this broken system alive.