Saving the planet by ensuring Climate Justice as a Human Right for all
Climate is changing rapidly and this change has quickened in the past years. We all are continuously witnessing events like intensified droughts, melting glaciers, extreme weather conditions in many parts of the world, and others. It has become a fact that everyone knows and a threat for every country in today’s scenario.
The roots of this climate crisis date back to the colonial era and the onset of the industrial revolution that brought in industries that contributed a lot to emitting smoke and other greenhouse gases, thus causing global warming and other consequences. But this climate change does not have the same impacts on every community and, unfortunately, rests in the heart of great injustice. The interlocking systems of colonialism, racism, exploitation, capitalism, and slavery have rendered many communities and peoples in situations where they are more vulnerable to climate change.
Therefore, the marginalised, low-income, indigenous, minority and disadvantaged communities are at high risk. They will be disproportionately affected by global warming. They are the most hit and the ones least responsible. The people responsible for these changes are from the countries in the global north. From the beginning of the industrial revolution, they contributed the most to climate change but the global south remains the most vulnerable to it. The global south is already facing harsh impacts of climate change and they will become even worse as the years pass. But if we want to resolve this climate injustice we need to make policies and amends to ensure a fairer and equal future for all. For that, we need “Climate Justice.”
Climate Justice is a human-centred approach to tackling climate change while addressing the many intersecting social issues that created it. It can address many issues like infrastructure, economic and food apartheid, climate restoration, and others. So, we need to make environmental policies with the global south to deliver climate justice while encompassing human rights, racial justice, and gender equality.
Climate justice can be guaranteed by securing the equitable distribution of funds, ensuring the effective participation of affected people and communities in planning, discussing, and decision-making from all over the world, including the wisdom of indigenous communities as a fundamental element, and holding accountable those responsible for the climate crisis. The government needs to promote green energy while combating short-lived climate pollutants like methane and ozone.
Thus, our planet can be saved by ensuring climate justice as a human right for all. At last, it has been rightly said by Alison Hawthorne that,“Climate change is a moral challenge, not simply an economic or technological problem. It is linked to social justice because it is the poor citizens of the world who will suffer the most from our excesses.”
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