Climate Justice

Abstract

"Climate change is one of the key social justice issues to arise from the consumption and exploitation of the world’s resources by rich nations. For the past 150 years industrialised nations have grossly over–consumed fossil fuels, and subsequently produced the majority of the world’s greenhouse gases. The impacts are already being felt, including by many of the world’s poorest people—those who are least responsible for it. Yet for these people climate change is more likely to be a matter of homelessness, food on the table, sickness and the loss of their livelihoods, land and cultures. Meanwhile, as Northern countries move slowly towards renewable technologies, international financial institutions continue to push fossil fuel exports and technology upon Southern countries. This locks them into dependence on polluting technologies, limiting the uptake of clean energies, increasing greenhouse emissions and furthering inequities. To achieve climate justice, Australians, as some of the world’s greatest per capita emitters, must make deep cuts in our emissions by changing our polluting way of life and our nation’s greenhouse–intensive economy. We must also assist countries of the South to find low–carbon paths to development, fund adaptation programs, recognise and accept climate refugees and repay carbon debt. Climate justice ultimately means that all people have the right to an equitable share of the world’s natural resources within ecological limits. It is about redressing inequalities of wealth, power and access to the earth’s resources." (p. 4)