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Putting IWD 2024 in the Context of Intersectionality and Climate Justice

The theme for the United Nation’s International Women’s Day 2024 (IWD 2024) is “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress”; however, any promotion of gender equality in the green economy should be done in the global context of climate justice and recognize the intersectionality of women.

Climate justice is the topic of recent UN reports that also centre on the intersectionality of Indigenous women in addressing economic vulnerability. For example, the 2022 policy brief “Climate Justice for Indigenous Women: Urgency and Way Forward” notes how “[i]ntersectionality and climate change cumulatively escalate Indigenous Women’s vulnerability,” such that the “[d]emystification of intersectionality of Indigenous Women should be the starting point for integrating reform at all levels.”

In addition, the 2023 report, Feminist Climate Justice: A Framework for Action, emphasizes how “gender inequalities intensify vulnerability to climate change impacts, which in turn jeopardize hard-won gains on women’s rights.” Although the framework centres intersectionality, it emphasizes women’s rights and gender roles rather than the full spectrum of gender expression. Examples of Indigenous Women’s leadership in their communities are also provided throughout the report.

Indigenous Women continue to lead efforts in addressing climate change, and their entrepreneurship is also driving initiatives to bring economic prosperity to regions that are hardest hit by climate change. However, investing in women and accelerating economic progress – the theme of IWD 2024 – must be done in the current context of climate justice while recognizing the intersectionality of women around the world.

 

By Leela Viswanathan

 

(Image Credit: Ashkan Forouzani, Unsplash)

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Connecting Climate Justice and Social Justice

Climate justice and social justice are inextricably linked. Climate justice recognizes how climate change has impacts on communities already made vulnerable by social, economic, health and other impacts, and who have contributed the least to climate change. In turn, climate change worsens existing social injustices. The connections between climate justice and social justice are drawn more clearly by those working on gender-based and youth-based climate justice initiatives and through projects that also shed light on the impacts of climate change on low-income countries.

Climate justice advocates call for a “gender transformative approach” when undertaking initiatives that address the impacts of climate change. For example, according to CARE International, climate justice initiatives should put effort into addressing  gender and power differences and vulnerabilities that emerge in efforts, including:

  • projects aimed at increasing climate resilience.
  • efforts that enhance men and women’s engagement in household practices of nutrition and health care.
  • conversations with traditional, religious, and elected leaders regarding the impacts of climate change.

Weather shocks, such as floods, droughts and historical fluctuations in temperature, heighten climate injustices when also considering age and gender. A recent study shows “[g]irls and women are particularly vulnerable to the social responses triggered by weather shocks, especially in places where they face restrictive gender norms.” Young boys in agriculture-based economies may be taken out of school to work, and adult males may be forced to choose to leave their households to migrate to places where they can find alternative sources of income due to the impacts of weather shocks.

According to UNICEF, youth define climate justice relationally. That is, youth consider climate actions to be intricately associated with other actions, including human rights, sustainable development, and addressing numerous injustices, such as social injustice, gender injustice, economic injustice, intergenerational injustice and environmental injustice. In order to address climate injustices, youth call for  “people-centered” efforts that address climate change, knowing that “not everyone has contributed to climate change in the same way.” To facilitate climate justice, youth call for:

  • skills development to enable youth and children to contribute to decision making.
  • consistent and reliable financing for youth activists to undertake projects and actions that enable them to implement their collective vision to address climate justice.
  • non-monetary forms of support in the form of partnerships to assist with climate justice action initiatives.

According to the World Climate Risk Index 2020, between 1999 to 2018, among the top countries most affected by extreme weather events, “seven were developing countries in the low income or lower-middle income country group, two were classified as upper-middle income countries (Thailand and Dominica) and one was an advanced economy generating high income (Puerto Rico).” Puerto Rico, Myanmar and Haiti ranked highest among the countries most affected by extreme weather events. Poor families are paying the most when it comes to the effects of climate change.

Achieving climate justice requires ensuring the protection of human rights and inclusion in decision making by those made most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

 

By Leela Viswanathan

 

(Image Credit: Chela B., Unsplash)

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Climate Justice

The term “climate justice” emphasizes how climate change is a social justice issue and a collective concern. Seeking climate justice involves recognizing the inequities in “social, economic, public health and other adverse impacts” of climate change, experienced by diverse communities and across differences in gender, age, ability, income, and other experiences. According to a World Bank Report (2020), by 2030, between 32 and 132 million additional people will experience extreme poverty due to climate change.

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres has stated that: “Climate change is happening now and to all of us. No country or community is immune. And, as is always the case, the poor and vulnerable are the first to suffer and the worst hit.” Climate change can also worsen existing inequities, and some communities have fewer resources to address climate impacts (e.g., heat waves; air pollution; food insecurity, associated health implications; etc) than others. Consequently, climate change is a “threat multiplier and further threatens peace across geographic regions and between people, also provoking global human migration and displacement. Applying climate solutions that involve a commitment to climate justice include “governments paying for their fair share to the people who have suffered,” such as loss and damages caused by climate change events.

Indigenous-led climate justice initiatives place a priority on climate solutions founded on Indigenous rights and self-determination. In turn, climate solutions should also work to “dismantle” barriers and mitigate the impact of historic injustices that oppress communities further marginalized by climate crises.

 

By Leela Viswanathan

(Photo credit: Beth MacDonald, Unsplash)

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