Environmental and Climate Justice: A Public Policy Discourse

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-255-2_26How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Climate; Environment; Climate Justice; United Nations

Abstract

In the discourse surrounding environmental and climate justice, it’s crucial to distinguish between the terms ‘environment’ and ‘climate’ as they represent distinct yet interconnected concerns. The environment has undergone substantial changes due to developmental and economic growth, leading to ecological issues. On the other hand, climate change poses a societal challenge with the potential to disrupt various routine activities. However, these impacts aren’t evenly distributed, creating an issue that transcends borders. Addressing climate justice requires not just tackling the immediate climate problems but also dismantling the systems that have contributed to this crisis. It calls for a systemic shift that prioritizes land stewardship, empowerment of women, support for frontline communities, and community-driven solutions.

A widely acknowledged principle in the field of climate justice is ‘Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities’ (CBDR+RC), first introduced within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992. This principle combines the ideas of historical accountability (CBDR) and a nation’s ability to take action (RC). Essentially, it suggests that a nation’s fair contribution to addressing climate issues should consider its past emissions and economic wealth. While poorer nations emphasize the responsibilities aspect, industrialized countries have often favoured the capabilities angle, resisting strong formulations of historical responsibility. Over successive rounds of discussions, from the Kyoto Protocol to the Paris Agreement, there’s been contention between developing nations, like India, and developed counterparts regarding the shifting of goals to reach a global consensus on combating climate change.

Copyright

© 2024 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Akankshya Anuska Babu
AU  - Bijayini Namrata Patel
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/06/13
TI  - Environmental and Climate Justice: A Public Policy Discourse
BT  - Proceedings of the NDIEAS-2024 International Symposium on New Dimensions and Ideas in Environmental Anthropology-2024 (NDIEAS 2024)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 301
EP  - 313
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-255-2_26
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-255-2_26
ID  - Babu2024
ER  -