BaCCC/Module 3/Lesson 1/Part 2
Contents
History of climate justice
| “ | Climate change . . . is poised to become the most massive human rights violation the world has ever seen. | ” |
| —Kathleen Dean Moore, professor at Oregon State University, United States | ||
Even though it is a fairly new term, there is much to unpack in the history of the climate justice concept.
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Just one country – the United States – is responsible for more than a quarter of all historical carbon emissions, while the total for the entire continent of Africa is under 3%. The United Kingdom, although it is responsible for only 1% of present-day emissions, has a huge historical footprint. Up until 1882, it accounted for over half of all global carbon emissions.
Even this wildly unequal picture does not quite capture the sheer inequity of historical carbon emissions since much of the CO2 that is ascribed to lower- and middle-income countries is released in order to satisfy the demand for consumer goods in high-income nations. The World Wildlife Fund, for example, has calculated that the United Kingdom’s “true” carbon footprint could be up to twice its current size if it accounted for these outsourced emissions. (In other words, many developed countries have exported their carbon pollution along with their manufacturing jobs to developing nations, but blame those nations for the resulting carbon emissions.) This makes the United Kingdom’s much-vaunted success in reducing carbon emissions since 1990 seem much less impressive.
— Adapted from Global Witness, “What Is Climate Justice?”
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Earthrise and Green New Deal UK go even further, adding several more interlocking (and now globalised) systems in Euro-American history to the causes of climate injustice:
- capitalism
- colonialism
- racism
- patriarchy
- economic growth
- resource extraction
- the commodification of nature
- exploitation
- slavery
- intergenerational inequity
- generational genocide
| Capitalism: Capitalism prioritises economic growth, profit and competition over social and environmental concerns, leading to the exploitation of natural resources, increased greenhouse gas emissions and the unequal distribution of wealth.
Historically, and continuing to this day, wealthy nations and individuals have disproportionately contributed to greenhouse gas emissions over time, while the poorer nations and communities have contributed less, but are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. (We cannot say this too often.) |
| Economic growth: The pursuit of economic growth can lead to increased greenhouse gas emissions, resource depletion and environmental degradation, often at the expense of vulnerable populations. |
| Resource extraction: The extraction of natural resources, such as oil and gas, can lead to environmental degradation, poisoning and the displacement of local communities. |
| Resource extraction: The extraction of natural resources, such as oil and gas, can lead to environmental degradation, poisoning and the displacement of local communities. |
| Commodification of nature: Treating nature as a commodity has led to the overexploitation and degradation of natural resources, often at the expense of Indigenous and other marginalised communities. |
| Exploitation: The exploitation of natural resources, labour and marginalised communities can lead to social and environmental injustices, including climate change. |
| Colonialism: European colonising led to the exploitation of natural resources in “new lands” and the oppression and/or displacement of the Indigenous peoples who had lived in those territories for thousands of years.
Colonisers ignored the sovereignty and self-determination of Indigenous peoples and have tended (until recently) to disregard their traditional ecological knowledge. Indigenous people often have a deep connection to the land, which gives them nowhere else to go, making them even more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events than people who can migrate. |
| Racism: Racialised communities (those who are not in the majority or part of the dominant race) often face greater exposure to environmental hazards and are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to factors such as social exclusion, economic inequality and discrimination. Indeed, the climate justice movement sprang out of the fight against environmental racism in the United States. Communities with fewer resources and political power often lack the ability to adapt to or mitigate the impacts of climate change, while those with greater resources can do so more easily. |
| Slavery: Historical and contemporary forms of slavery and forced labour, including child labour and human trafficking, are often linked to environmental degradation and climate change through their connection to resource extraction (extracting minerals, oil and gas) and land use (working in land-intensive activities, such as agriculture, forestry and mining), which lead to deforestation, soil erosion and other sources of greenhouse gases and environmental degradation. |
| Patriarchy: Patriarchy is a system of society or government in which the father or eldest male is the head of the family. Descent and inheritance are reckoned through the male line, and men tend to hold the power while women are largely excluded from it.
Patriarchal systems perpetuate gender inequalities, which can exacerbate the impacts of climate change for women and girls who, in some cultures and environments, are responsible for onerous and time-consuming household tasks, such as collecting water and firewood, but who may face legal barriers to independent decision-making. Patriarchal attitudes also make it more difficult for women and girls to access the information, education or training they need to adapt to the climate emergency, leaving them with little agency or influence over policies that affect them. |
| Intergenerational inequity: Future generations will bear the brunt of climate change impacts caused by past and current generations who have not taken adequate action to address the problem. |
| Generational genocide: The youth are starting to realise that today’s older generations in many parts of the world are acting in the best interests of profits, not the best interests of younger generations. Failure to address climate change will certainly lead to the collapse of civilisation . . . and could lead to the extinction of humanity. |
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Namibia is a beautiful, sunny country located in southwestern Africa – and one that has been heavily affected by climate change in recent years, with severe droughts, floods and other extreme weather events causing significant harm to both the environment and the people and their livelihoods. With approximately 300 days of sunshine annually, and persistent, dry onshore winds, Namibia is quite dry for much of the year. The November to April rainy season is modest by most precipitation standards in the world (only 300 mm per year) – when it comes, that is.  Barbara at MEHR Namibia described the last exuberant rainy season in 2010 to 2011 as follows. For months it rained and rained. All rivers (normally dry rivers) gushed, often for weeks. The land turned into a jungle; roads got washed away. . . . Ever since, most rivers have remained dry. In some areas, the last blade of grass had been nibbled off by hungry animals or been whiffed away by gusts of wind. In many places, wildlife had all but vanished and many farmers saw their cows, sheep and goats die or had to slaughter or sell them. A lot of wildlife perished, as the fences prevent long migrations. — MEHR Namibia (2016), Fifty Shades of Green, Identified as one of the driest countries south of the Sahara Desert, Namibia experiences cycles of persistent drought conditions. The Namibian government declared national emergencies in 1992/1993, 1995/1996, 2012/2013, 2013/2014, 2015/2016, and 2018/2019 due to extreme drought events. By the end of 2019, which was the worst drought recorded in 90 years, agriculture production was at its lowest. Farmers struggled to maintain their crops and animals, but tens of thousands of livestock deaths were reported, and many families had their essential livelihood affected due to decreased yields and income. In pastoral communities, many households are female-headed, and many children must drop out of school when their families adopt a semi-nomadic existence, in search of fresh pasture and water for their livestock. During the 2018/2019 drought period, human-wildlife conflicts also arose because of competition for water and grazing land. By the end of another “lean season” in 2022, it was estimated that 750,000 people (out of a population of 2.5 million) were facing high levels of food insecurity. — International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (2022) "Namibia Drought Assessment Report 2022'[3] But the drought of 2019 carried on. Izette Munkonge, who lives in Windhoek, described the 2022 drought as follows: The devastating drought that struck Namibia in 2022 was a stark reminder of the harsh reality of climate change. The country, known for its arid landscapes, faced unprecedented water scarcity, crop failures, and loss of livestock. Rivers and reservoirs dried up, leaving communities struggling to find clean water for drinking and sanitation. The agricultural sector, a crucial source of livelihood for many Namibians, was severely impacted, with farmers facing immense challenges in cultivating crops and sustaining their livestock. The government and humanitarian organizations worked tirelessly to provide relief efforts, but the severity of the drought left a lasting impact on Namibia’s economy and the well-being of its people. It served as a poignant reminder of the urgent need to address the pressing issue of climate change and its devastating effects on vulnerable communities. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Indigenous Peoples (2023), gives the following description: The United Nations points out that Indigenous peoples in Africa’s Kalahari Desert (which stretches across Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa) are forced to live around government drilled bores [groundwater wells] for water and depend on government support for their survival because their traditional pastoralist (livestock herding) livelihoods have been compromised by the land degradation caused by rising temperatures, dune expansion and increased wind speeds. — United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Indigenous Peoples (2023), The Effect of Climate Change on Indigenous Peoples, "The Effect of Climate Change on Indigenous Peoples[4] Climate injustice is a significant concern in Namibia. Vulnerable communities, especially those living in poverty and in rural areas, are disproportionately affected by climate change. The situation is particularly concerning given that Namibia is one of the countries in the world that has contributed the least to greenhouse gas emissions yet is one of the most affected by their impacts. A 2022 Concern Worldwide report highlights how these impacts are exacerbating existing social and economic inequalities in the country, with vulnerable communities being hit the hardest. Another example of climate injustice in Namibia is the lack of access to clean water and sanitation facilities in many rural areas. These communities often lack access to resources and infrastructure that would help them adapt to the changing climate. As climate change leads to increased droughts and water scarcity, these communities are being forced to travel further and further to access clean water, putting them at greater risk of illness and disease, and putting especially the rural women and girls in increased harm’s way. In contrast, wealthy and urban populations (inside and outside of Namibia) tend to have better access to resources and are less affected by climate change, which perpetuates existing social and economic inequalities. And then . . . in mid-December 2022, severe floods hit the capital city, Windhoek, after three months’ worth of rain (95 mm) fell in just 24 hours. This extreme weather event resulted in the widespread destruction of infrastructure, displacement of marginalised communities as riverbed homes in “informal settlements” (where the poor live) were destroyed and the loss of at least two young lives as street children were swept away.
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"‘Unprecedented’ Flooding Wreaks Havoc in Windhoek"[5] In the north of Namibia, rapid flooding cut off roads, which kept children from school and the sick and injured from accessing health clinics.
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The situation in Namibia is just one instance of climate injustice impacting vulnerable communities. It is crucial that action is taken to address these inequalities and ensure that those who are most affected are given the support they need to adapt to a changing climate. (You can adjust the playback speed and/or turn on subtitles/captions.) If you have trouble accessing the videos, a summary is available in Annex 1.3.1. |
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References
- ↑ Global Witness, n.d. What Is Climate Justice?
- ↑ MEHR, 2016. Namibia after the Rain
- ↑ International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 2022. Namibia Drought Assessment Report 2022
- ↑ United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2023. The Effect of Climate Change on Indigenous Peoples
- ↑ The Namibian, 2022. ‘Unprecedented’ Flooding Wreaks Havoc in Windhoek
