The Heat Is On! Why Climate Action Fails Without Climate Justice
Anti-racism must form the basis of successful climate change action.
This week is ‘refugee’ week and one of the causes of displacement is climate change. But climate change is not a clear cut issue to solve…
https://www.flickr.com/photos/number7cloud/33398645713/in/photostream/ - Lori Shaull.
Recently, I have become more involved with climate action organisations. One of the things that has shocked me is quite how white these spaces are. In my (very diverse) city, local groups seems to be almost entirely made up of white people.
Why Is Whiteness An Issue In Climate Action?
Well, we cannot talk about the climate crisis without discussing the inextricably linked issue of the need for climate justice, and, unspoken in that euphemism is the word ‘racism’. So let’s start with climate justice, what it is and why it is intertwined with the climate crisis.
What is Climate Justice?
“Climate justice is a concept that addresses the just division, fair sharing, and equitable distribution of the burdens of climate change and its mitigation and responsibilities to deal with climate change” (Wikipedia).
The effects of climate change are being disproportionately experienced by Global South countries while they contribute far less to global carbon emissions. Global north countries however have contributed an estimated 92% of excess historical carbon emissions and 37% of current emissions while being home to only 15% of the population (War on Want).
Achieving climate justice necessitates recognising and addressing the unequal power structures in play that also continue to uphold racism. Climate justice is the equitable step that needs to be taken to create a level playing field, where climate action benefits everyone, rather than upholding and perpetuating the inequality that already exists.
Unequal Climate Action Playing Fields
We only have to look at how our global north governments operate to see the racism and protection of privilege baked into their policies and actions. Such privilege was violently acquired through 400 years of murder, enslavement, horrific abuse and colonising other nations. This resulted in the creation of a narrative that defined whiteness as superior and the installation of European standards, values and ideals as the default.
The richer, industrialised global north countries continue to benefit from these structural inequalities that were intentionally designed. By continuing to profit from the very industries that perpetuate the climate crisis, they ignore their historic part in creating the climate issues we are now facing and the fact that they have contributed most to the situation. Moreover, they refuse to take effective and immediate action or pay reparations to the countries they decimated, who are now left dealing with the harshest consequences of climate change.
Indeed, as the climate situation becomes more urgent the intersection of this injustice becomes more obvious. Indigenous communities, small-scale farmers and the poorest people are impacted the most by these climate conditions. And those facing the brunt of climate change are often forced to leave their homes…
“Most are displaced internally with a small number crossing borders in search of a dignified life. In response, countries in the Global North are spending billions on violent border systems that perpetuate existing inequalities – money that could be spent on climate finance, adaptation and reparations” (Climate Justice UK).
For example, this report from the Transnational Institute (TNI) shows that those countries who emit the most greenhouse gases spend an average of 2.3 times as much on border control and militarisation than they do on climate finance. For the worst offenders this figure is as much as 15 times higher (Climate Justice UK).
“Resources are spent dividing people across arbitrary lines, rather than fixing the real issues we all face” (Climate Justice UK).
The Racism Hot Potato
So, if we can see the urgent need for climate action, and climate justice is a necessary step on the path to that that needs to address the historically created inequality that stems from centuries of racism, why are so many environmental groups still seemingly ignoring this essential step? Because as white people, we often don’t want to do the hard work of addressing our own racism…
We often want to avoid these discussions because we don’t think we are racist or feel uncomfortable engaging in conversations about racism. Yet we all live within a white supremacist* culture, where white people are inevitably steeped in privilege, bias and racism. Our racism is unavoidable. A fact. A given.
*When I say white supremacist, I’m not talking KKK. I mean a culture that values whiteness and affords it privileges, or unearned advantages, that people of other skin colours do not receive. This culture also forms a hierarchy of privilege in proximity to whiteness. That doesn’t mean that white people don’t experience disadvantage, it means that the colour of their skin doesn’t further impact their level of disadvantage.
Anti-Racism and The Climate Action Movement
Yet without addressing our white privilege, climate justice runs the risk of being an ignorable euphemism for the uncomfortable truths embedded in our colonial pasts, and certainly not many white people’s main focus. Climate justice becomes something that lip service is paid to, by engaging in surface level support without ever unpicking the deeper structural and personal biases and racism all we white people inevitably bring to the table.
I see many white people showing up to protest about climate change for our (WHITE) children and grandchildren. Spurred into ‘rebel’ action and giving several fucks when we notice our white, privileged corner of the global north is under threat from climate change and the possible influx of migrants (deliberately displaced people) from Global South countries.
“Alarmist concerns about climate migration contribute to framing the climate crisis in terms of security, casting migrants as a threat to society. For example, news articles warning of ‘waves of climate migrants’ echo xenophobic, far right rhetoric that dehumanises migrants” (Climate Justice UK).
Racism and the impacts of perpetuating the inequalities thus simply becomes further embedded, as the very challenge for life vs extinction is based on some lives being more valuable than others based on such an arbitrary signifier as skin colour.
I also see well-intentioned but harmful ‘support’ in the form of white saviourism that perpetuates existing stereotypes and disparities, while, again, never unpicking what created them in the first place.
This is highly problematic. The white protestors and protagonists going up against global north governments are effectively doing nothing to undo these deeper structures of power and control, privilege and extraction if they do not embed anti-racism and climate justice as the cornerstone of their protest.
Refugee Week’ invites us to acknowledge the discrimination, challenges and abuse faced by (deliberately) displaced people and to focus on how we can learn more, address our own biases and racism and make ourselves more useful aspiring allies.
In order for climate activism to be effective and successful, we need to take the equitable step, which is addressing the inequalities within our power structures first to level the playing field and help pull others up to the same level so that we can actually finally work together to achieve our goal. That starts with acknowledging the racism at the root of our systems and culture and embedding anti-racism within our activism.
Armchair Activism
Simple Activism
Watch the Greenpeace video ‘What’s racism got to do with environmental destruction?’ (NB: The video uses the outdated terms people of colour and ethnic minorities). Using outdated terms is not a great sign of anti-racism being baked into the organisation but the video is a useful tool for educating ourselves.
Follow migrant voices on Social Media
Migrant Voice Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
We’re a migrant-led organisation empowering migrants to speak out, challenge perceptions and change public debate.
Migrants’ Rights Network Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
We stand in solidarity with all migrants in their fight for rights and justice.
Step It Up A Notch
Take action by committing to some simple acts to support displaced people.
Watch the Greenpeace video ‘Is Climate Change Racist'?’ See above re problematic aspects of Greenpeace.
Serious Activism
Use this tool to find events in your local area of the UK as well as in Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jordan, Malta, Online, Portugal, South Africa & Taiwan for Refugee Week.
Follow and learn from Indigenous Activists
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez - @xiuhtezcatl (Mexico, US) - Although only 21, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez spoke at his first climate event aged 6. Aged 12, he made his debut speech at the UN. Now Martinez is a hip-hop artist who uses his music to continue to fight for climate action. Plus, he can solve a Rubik’s Cube in under a minute and made an enemy out of Donald Trump after attempting to sue him over inaction on global warming.
Sonia Guajajara - @guajajarasonia (The Guajajara, Brazil) Sonia Guajajara is the spearhead of the Association of Indigenous People of Brazil, she was born to a Guajajara family in Maranhao, in the Amazonian rainforest. The Guajajaras are one of Brazil’s largest Indigenous groups. As one of the strongest environmental leaders in the world, Sonia knows that “everything is connected and nature provides everything.”
Txai Suruí - @txaisurui - (Paiter Suruí, Brazil) Txai Suruí is an Indigenous climate activist who shot to notoriety after her COP26 speech in Glasgow. She said “the Earth is speaking. She tells us that we have no more time. The animals are disappearing. The rivers are dying, and our plants don’t flower like they did before.”