Climate Justice - Climate Change Between Social and Ecological Issues

It has been on everyone's lips for some time now: climate justice. The term primarily highlights the fact that climate change is also a social issue. Different population groups are affected by the climate crisis to varying degrees. Usually, the people who contribute the least to global warming are the ones who feel its consequences the most.

As a rule, the countries that are most responsible for climate change have the best resources to protect themselves from its consequences. On the other hand, Pacific island countries, which are already directly affected by rising sea levels, have little opportunity to protect themselves from it.

We need not only climate protection, but also climate justice. The primary perpetrators of the climate crisis, including Germany, bear a special responsibility in this regard. Making amends for the damage caused should therefore be a central part of any climate policy.
The term breaks with the strict separation between social and climate protection movements. It unites diverse activism.

But where does the term actually come from?

It is worth taking a look at the 1960s in the USA. At that time, climate protection activists campaigned against the construction of a chemical company. These activists all had one thing in common: they were white. The result of their commitment was that the company was relocated near poorer neighborhoods. These were mainly inhabited by African Americans, Native Americans and Hispanics.
They fought back. During this time, the term "environmental racism" was coined - and, as a result, climate justice.

All of us who care about the climate and its future should therefore also educate ourselves on social issues.

Our top book recommendations on the topic:

Vanessa Nakate - Our house has long been in flames

Elias König - Climate Justice: Why we need a socio-ecological revolution

Mary Robinson - Climate Justice. A Man-Made Problem With a Feminist Solution

Have fun reading and learning.