Climate justice is the concept that it the larger, richer, and developed countries that have polluted the most, and have a greater impact on global warming. Yet it is the smaller, poorer, and less-developed countries who will be most affected by climate change.
Nations that have contributed the most to greenhouse gas emissions have a responsibility to assist those who will experience displacement, drought, food shortages, and other consequences stemming from climate change. Furthermore, to protect the environment it is imperative that those same nations abandon fossil fuels and move towards a greener economy.
General Suggested Reading
Climate Justice Toolkit for Municipalities: Wondering what can be done about climate justice on a local level? Check out this toolkit, which presents a review of the current climate justice work being done in BC municipalities and compiles a non-exhaustive list of action items that can be incorporated into the decision-making and planning processes to address existing gaps and forefront the importance of climate justice in municipalities.
Want to learn how to take action on climate justice at the municipal level? Check out the Infiltration resources from the Youth Climate Lab!
The organisers and policy experts at Indigenous Climate Action have created many resources about how to create Indigenous-centered climate policy in Canada, a climate curriculum, and much more! Check out their resources here!
Climate and Regulations
- “True Partners: Charting a New Del for BC, First Nations, and the Forests We Share” (2007) Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
- “Putting Canadians at Risk” deregulation as a threat to health and environmental standards (2006) Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
- “Energy (R)evolution: A Sustainable Canada Energy Outlook” (2008) Greenpeace and European Renewable Energy Council
Corporations, Capitalism, and Climate
- Principles for Global Corporate Responsibility: Bench Marks for Measuring Business Performance (2003)
- A Shrinking Universe: How concentrated corporate power is shaping income inequality in Canada (2012) Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
- How do corporations influence decisions on climate action? (2021) Global Witness
- Greenhouse Market Mania: UN Climate talks corrupted by corporate pseudo-solutions (2000) Corporate Europe Observatory