Climate Justice

Climate justice is the principle that the benefits derived from activities causing climate change, along with the burdens of its impacts, should be distributed fairly. Climate justice means that countries which have grown wealthy through unrestricted carbon emissions bear the greater responsibility not only to halt global warming but also to help other nations adapt to climate change and pursue economic development using non-polluting technologies.

Climate justice also advocates for fairness in environmental decision-making, focusing on empowering the populations least responsible for, yet most vulnerable to, the climate crisis to have a significant voice in global and regional plans to address the issue. It also requires recognizing that climate change threatens fundamental human rights principles, affirming that all people are born with dignity and equal rights, including the right to food, water, and other resources essential for health.

Advocating for climate justice, rather than just climate action, has significant implications for policymaking, diplomacy, academic research, and activism. It highlights the need to consider how different climate responses distribute harm and benefits and who has a role in shaping those responses.