Climate justice frames climate change in terms of what is considered socially and politically fair and equitable. It seeks to balance differentiated historical emissions and the associated economic benefit, with current and future burdens of the consequences of climate change. This framing acknowledges that although there is common responsibility globally for the creation of climate change, some nations contributed significantly more towards the creating the problem than others, and as a result benefited much more from the associated industrialisation than others. Similarly, the burdens associated with climate change are not equally distributed across communities and nations, and are further compounded by socio-economic vulnerability.  There is thus variability in the capability of communities and nations to deal with the negative consequences of climate change.  Taking all these factors into account, requires the recognition of “… common but differentiated responsibilities, and respective capabilities …”, a phrase which is central to the Paris Agreement.  Climate justice therefore introduces the need to talk about a just transition because we cannot address climate change without addressing the structural drivers.

Join us over the next few weeks as we delve into various aspects of climate justice to provide a more holistic understanding of the complexity of the matter.