Environmental justice & climate justice hub >
Contents below:
· Institutions
~ Academia
~ NGOs & associated climate justice programs
· Declarations, letters & statements
· Select readings in climate justice, civil disobedience & climate change
Also see:
· NGOs page, where climate-focused NGOs are highlighted
Information & resources
Handbook for Climate Activists
· “...exists to support a growing community of climate dissidents who take the risk of acting
commensurate with the scale and urgency of the crisis.”
· “...an archival database of news, information and documents. The information compiled
here is collected from various sources and is based on more than 20 years of research
and data collection."
Greenhouse Development Rights (GDRs)
· “...a Equity Reference Framework that is designed to support an emergency global climate
mobilization while, at the same time, preserving the rights of all people to reach a dignified
level of sustainable human development free of the privations of poverty. It’s basic approach,
which is to calculate a Responsibility and Capacity Index for all countries and to apply that
index within an effort-sharing framework, is the basis of the Climate Equity Reference Calculator
and the Climate Equity Pledge Scorecard."
· "ITM is a new way to connect us all — the billions of people who care about climate change.
It’s a place where we can all go, each week, to learn what is happening in the movement and
to share what inspires us or concerns us with our friends and family. It’s a way for us to all
easily take part and take action. We know that you don't have time to scour the Internet every
day to find out what's going on. ITM does that for you and puts the actions, campaigns, stories,
success, challenges and reflections of the climate movement ALL IN ONE PLACE."
Institutions
~ Academia ~
Climate Justice Universities Union
· “We are a transboundary and transdisciplinary collective seeking to leverage the transformative
potential of higher education institutions to accelerate a just transition and advance climate justice.
~ NGOs & associated climate justice programs ~
Civil Liberties Defense Center
Climate Equity Reference Project
Climate Equity Reference Calculator
Debt Observatory in Globalisation
Declarations, letters & statements
ℹ️☞ Climate emergency declaration @ Wikipedia
ℹ️☞ Spreadsheet database on governmental units declaring a climate emergency
· With links to relevant documents
ℹ️☞ Religious statements on climate change @ IPL
ℹ️☞ Climate Change and Human Rights declarations
2000 Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change
2004 Climate Justice Declaration
2008 Niue Declaration on Climate Change
2013 Declaration on Climate Justice
2015 St. Julien's Declaration on Climate Justice
2017 Climate Damages Declaration
2017 Fairbanks Declaration of the Foreign Ministers of the Arctic States
· 10th Ministerial meeting, Arctic Council
2017 UNESCO Declaration of Ethical Principles in relation to Climate Change
Faith & Science Declaration on Climate Change @ United Planet Faith & Science Initiative
Women's Connected Leadership Declaration on Climate Justice
Energy democracy
Energy Democracy [organization]
Energy Democracy [book]
Energy democracy @ Wikipedia
Energy democracy @ Transnational Institute
Global Justice Now [UK]
Alternative Information and Development Centre
Energy democracy & climate justice
Climate Crisis @ Public Services International
Trade Unions for Energy Democracy
Select readings in climate justice, climate change activism & civil disobedience
· In reverse chronological order
The Routledge Handbook of Grassroots Climate Activism
· 2025 ~ Sabine von Mering et al.
· “...introduces contemporary forms of grassroots climate activism from around the world through the
lenses of a variety of academic disciplines, methodologies, and perspectives.
· Focusing on bottom-up case studies, it showcases innovative and creative approaches, as well as the
knowledge of those working towards swift decarbonisation, just transitions, and climate justice.”
· “...brings together established and up-and-coming scholars, scholar-activists, and practitioners who
present novel, cutting-edge research and new findings exploring current developments in different
parts of the world.”
· “...will be of particular interest to students and scholars of climate activism, climate solutions,
climate and society, human-environmental crises, grassroots activism, and social movements.”
The ethics of climate activism
· 2023 ~ Francisco Garcia-Gibson ~ WIREs Climate Change
· Places an ethical emphasis on climate activism, exposing its non-inclusive, undemocratic, violent,
and ineffective tendencies.
· Explores the realms in which it is the individual duty of people to get engaged in climate action.
· Highlights the problematic nature of climate activism, showing evidence of inefficacy causing harm to others.
Civil disobedience by scientists helps press for urgent climate action
· 2022 ~ Stuart Capstick et al. ~ Nature Climate Change
· Scientists brought to attention by civil disobedience by leveraging the credibility and authority
associated with their line of work
· Shaping public opinion, these scientists help shift public influence as well as policymakers
· Moral and ethical influence, scientists engaging in breaking norms challenge status quos and
highlight the need for action.
Climate justice in the Global North: An introduction
· 2021 ~ Prakash Kashwan ~ Case Studies in the Environment
· “...provides a broad-based and jargon-free introduction to climate justice to foster critical thinking,
engaged discussions, and profound reflections.”
· “...concludes by showcasing a few examples of the ongoing pursuits of climate justice, led by social
justice groups, local governments, and some government agencies.”
Why the Larger Climate Movement Is Finally Embracing the Fight Against Environmental Racism
· 2020, Justin Worland, TIME Magazine
· Recounts the 2019 gas leak and subsequent fire at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions Refining Complex.
· Transitions into a greater conversation negative impact on air pollution.
· Examines the disproportional impact on communities of color and air pollution, with specific discussion
of conditions such as asthma.
Equity, climate justice and fossil fuel extraction: principles for a managed phase out
· 2020, Greg Muttitt and Sivan Kartha, Climate Policy
· Discusses the impacts and economic challenges of fossil fuel extraction and transition and explores
how to equitably approach a rapid transition away from fossil fuel extraction.
· Presents five guiding principles as a foundation for a just transition away from fossil fuel extraction
including curbing extraction consistent with environmental justice and 1.5°C of warming, a just
transition for workers and communities, and an equitable distribution of costs and responsibilities
· Outlines how these principles could be applied, emphasizing that the proposed measures must be
paired with efforts to address environmental injustice and equity issues.
· Poses questions such as: how should impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations be
balanced with the impacts of a transition away from fossil fuels, and who should bear the
responsibility and costs of transition?
Climate activism and its effects
· 2020 ~ Dana R. Fisher, Sohana Nasrin ~ WIREs Climate Change
· Dives deep into climate activism, for many other researchers who study climate change often
disregard this social engagement.
· Explores how citizens are engaged with the impacts of climate change, specifically with
indirect and direct social movement
· Acknowledges the power of climate strikes in recent years, even citing examples from Greta Thunberg
World Scientists’ Warning of a Climate Emergency
· 2020 ~ William J Ripple, et al. ~ BioScience
· In 2019, 11,000 scientists issued warning of climate emergency
· This warning covers a large list of concerns affecting land and ocean (including ocean acidification,
gas emissions, and deforestation)
· An effort by scientists to influence both policymakers and as well as increase public awareness on
the potentially catastrophic issue of climate change.
Conservation must capitalize on climate’s moment
· 2020 ~ Charlie J. Gardner, et al. ~ Nature Communications
· Gardner is a conservationist with extensive expertise in the field work, capitalizing on his
knowledge of climate crisis.
· Gardner's contribution to innovation and research are valuable assets to identifying impacts on
climate change
Climate Change, Environmental Terrorism, Eco-Terrorism and Emerging Threats
· 2020 ~ Spadaro, Paola Andrea ~ Journal of Strategic Security
· The article cites the acidification of oceans, the depletion of marine food supplies, weakened
forest resilience, reduced crop yields, and fragility in the food supply chain as major drivers of
radical actions, in response to governments and organizations that these far-left individuals
view as having not done enough.
· The essay goes through a brief history of eco-terrorism, including particular study into ELF as
one of the founders of the concept. This also includes a discussion into the term “eco-terrorism”
itself; the article claims that, between 1979 and 2010, ELF activities caused zero injuries or
deaths, despite being among the main causes of anti-terrorism expansions in law enforcement.
However, there are other notable examples––such as the Justice Department and the Animal
Rights Extremists––that have splintered from other groups and are willing to use more violent
tactics.
· Due to the existence and radicalism of certain groups, a much larger swath of environmental
organizations have been the subject of repression. The United Kingdom, for example, lists two
major peaceful organizations––Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion––in their police
counterterrorism guides. Spadaro posits that this repression may be a turning point in the opposite
direction, inspiring people to take action with these nonviolent groups as a protest against
government overreach.
Civil Society and Global Governance
· 2020 ~ Ginanjar, Wahyu and Ahmad Mubarrok ~ Journal of Contemporary Governance and Public Policy
· Subtitle: The Indirect Participation of Extinction Rebellion in Global Governance on Climate Change
· Dives into the issue many disobedient movements have with modern climate conferences and
solutions: politics. Lacking proper enforcement methods and guarantees for participation, the
major proposed solutions such as the Paris Agreement tend to fall apart and prove ineffectual.
Instead of depending on politics to sort themselves out, climate issues––as many other fields––must
have pressure come from below to find any real solutions.
· Examines Extinction Rebellion, among the most active modern civil disobedience groups devoted
to environmental causes. They summarize their three main demands––“Tell the Truth;” “Act Now;”
and going “Beyond Politics”––and their organizational history and tactics, including using
human blockades, and comparing the group to those present during the 1960s American Civil
Rights Movement.
· The article also examines how Extinction Rebellion participates in political decisions and the
overall conversation regarding climate change. Extinction Rebellion fights in the realm of
“institutional evolution,” looking to rework the fundamental methods by which we tackle these
problems and the groups that are in power to do so. Specifically, they advocate for––as many
other modern climate activist organizations do––the creation of a citizen’s assembly, or a council
made up of non-politicians to investigate and drive climate policy forward free from interests such
as corporations or re-election campaigns.
Scientists must act on our own warnings to humanity
· 2019 ~ Gardner, Charlie J. and Claire F. R. Wordley ~ Nature Ecology & Evolution
· A brief summary of the scientific community’s efforts to broadcast the need for urgency, including
a 1992 address by the Union of Concerned Scientists, and again in 2017 in an open letter with
over 15,000 signatories.
· The authors argue that, historically, pressure must come from below in order to affect political
change, citing examples such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. Many scientists
have participated in institutional democratic reforms, such as advocacy, petitions, and voting,
but to little effect; despite these actions, the best the international community has come up with
does not nearly cover all that is necessary.
· “As conservation scientists and members of Extinction Rebellion” [see: “Civil Society and Global
Governance”], the authors make their case for the scientific community to go further in action
than they previously have, by participating in and organizing massive, nonviolent disruptive action.
They provide several different ways for scientists to get involved, and debunk multiple arguments
made by scientists against participating in these actions, citing a study that proved that
participating in civil disobedience does not alter the perceived credibility of scientists.
· Scientists must accept collaboration as a valid method to conduct better research
Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience and the Fight for a Sustainable Future
· 2018, Mary Robinson, Bloomsbury Publishing
· Former President of Ireland Robinson unveils how women must be given a voice and a seat at the
table in the discussion about climate change and the future
· Explores how we all have a role in the fight against climate change, and the necessity of hearing
from people with a diverse array of backgrounds
· Provides snapshots of life in the face of climate change from the perspective of Ugandan farmers
who are climate activists, US citizens, Robinson's own family, and others
· Provides a “matriarchal” lens that must be encompassed in climate solutions
A Policy Approach Toward Climate Justice
· September 2016, Jalonne Lynay White-Newsome, The Black Scholar
· Discusses how low-income and communities of color, specifically African Americans, are the
least responsible for climate change but are disproportionately experiencing the impacts of the
climate crisis, perpetuated by a system of environmental racism.
· Emphasizes how climate justice efforts that consider the health, economic, social and
environmental impacts of climate change are needed at the international, national, and local
levels to effectively address the capitalistic and political systems that perpetuate environmental
injustices.
· Presents recommendations for a more transparent government reporting process to ensure
accountability, measures to increase grassroots engagement, and essential elements needed in
climate justice legislation.
Urban climate justice: creating sustainable pathways for humans and other species
· June 2015, Wendy Steele, Luis Mata, and Hartmut Fünfgeld
· Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability
· Examines the topic of urban climate justice, focusing on the connections between environmental
sustainability, human vulnerability, and biodiversity loss.
· Discusses the disproportionate negative impacts of climate change and rapid urbanization, in
addition to the resulting exacerbation of existing social injustices and vulnerabilities, on low-
income and marginalized urban communities that have limited capabilities to adapt to climate
change.
· Highlights the need to address the impacts and equity issues of climate change on both humans
and other ecological communities and species that play an important role in biodiversity, working
to create an equitable, interdisciplinary transition focusing on eco-social justice and equity in cities.
Local level climate justice? Adaptation finance and vulnerability reduction
· December 2013, Sam Barrett, Global Environmental Change
· Discusses the development of a framework for analyzing adaptation finance effectiveness and
outlines data collected on the effectiveness of adaptation finance collected across 18 villages in
Malawi, a climate vulnerable area and recipient of significant funds targeting adaptation.
· Shows adaptation finance to be a relatively effective method to address climate threats, with
villages that received adaptation funding being able to address more risks and increases individual
agency and long-term security.
· Presents evidence of villages that received adaptation funding having increased capacity to
implement both negative and positive adaptations, while villages taking informal action tended to
adopt mainly negative adaptations and short-term coping strategies.
Beyond arson? A threat assessment of the Earth Liberation Front
· 2010 ~ Gary A. Ackerman ~ Terrorism and Political Violence
· Investigates the relationship between political instability and economic growth in regions such
as Sub-Saharan Africa
· Ethnic divisions could have specific impacts that may exacerbate preexisting negative economic
conditions.
· Recommends implementing and creating new policies to strengthen democratic institutions
improving governance.
The Earth Liberation Front and Environmental Terrorism
· 2010 ~ Leader, Stefan and Peter Probst ~ Terrorism and Political Violence
· A deep dive into the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), a radical organization willing to employ any
methods in order to push for environmentalist causes—reveals patterns common to many
disobedient climate organizations.
· Examines the decentralized, non-structural nature of ELF: instead of having any hierarchical
guiding organization or individual leaders, the organization relies on individual actors to take
part in and organize small local actions, operating on a national understanding of the organization
taking the main role in guiding actions and recruitment.
· While the ELF was often willing to use violence and other terroristic means, they avoided
injuring humans. They perfectly fit the adage that terrorists want “a lot of people watching, not
a lot of people dead,” by Brian Jenkins, an American terror expert.
· 2007, G. Ananthapadmanabhan; K. Srinivas; Vinuta Gopal, GreenPeace India
· Discusses how the Indian government can implement CBDR amongst the various groups within India
(on an intra-governmental level) and asks the question, where are climate injustices taking place within
India?)
· Asks, who is responsible for India's emissions and who is ultimately living the consequences of these
actions?
Equity, environmental justice and sustainability: Incomplete approaches in climate change politics
· 2003, Jekwu Ikeme, Global Environmental Change
· Differentiates between the concepts of equity and environmental justice, which the author argues
are often conflated.
· Also highlights the disconnect between theoretical approaches and development plans for addressing
climate challenges.
· Investigates these differences to ensure that public policy plans effectively address the issue of climate
justice.
· 2002 - Jarboe, James F., Domestic Terrorism Section Chief, Counterterrorism Division, FBI
· Before the US House Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health
· An early look at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s policies and interests in climate
disobedience. Jarboe describes how “special interest” terrorism––terrorist acts motivated by
individual, particular goals rather than general ideology––became an emergent threat, and
climate disobedience was at the forefront of this.
· Covers the challenge of confronting climate disobedience movements, referring in particular to
the Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front, but in a widely applicable way to
many disobedience groups: decentralization. By denying law enforcement easy opportunities to
infiltrate groups and trace individuals back to larger cells, this structure––which is common in
left-wing environmental groups––allows the group to remain elusive.
· Jarboe takes the Committee through a brief history of violent ecological disobedience. The first
notable acts were in 1977, when members of Greenpeace who lost faith in the traditional
organizing methods of the organization formed the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and
attacked commercial fishing operations.
Climate Change and Global Environmental Justice
· 2001, Professor Paul N Edwards, Clark A. Miller. Chapter 9 of Changing the Atmosphere: Expert
Knowledge and Environmental Governance, The MIT Press
· Discusses the historical unwillingness of nations that contribute the most to climate change (the
US, Japan, Norway, and more) to take responsible measures to reduce their respective greenhouse
gas emissions
· Explores how mitigation efforts rarely consider potential injustices that may arise from the proposed
solutions
· Poses questions such as: what are the ethical problems with our global climate change solutions?
Indigenous Principles of Just Transition2021
· November 1998, Indigenous Environmental Network
· Written at the Circles of Wisdom: Native Peoples/Native Homelands Climate Change Workshop
held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in November of 1998.
· Presents 17 principles–separated into three sections: Responsibility and Relationship, Sovereignty,
and Transformation to Action–to guide Indigenous peoples in rebuilding their nations and communities
to center sustainable and healthy economies and ways of life while maintaining traditional Indigenous
practices and knowledge.
· Outlines a framework for a transition to an ecologically sustainable, equitable and just economy,
focusing on strategies to democratize, decentralize and diversify economic activity, decrease our
consumption, and redistribute resources and power.
Climate justice, activism & advocacy
A few notes on
climate activism resources
This page provides a top-level guide to "resources & tools" regarding the practice of climate change activism. Keep in mind that the roots of climate change activism reach deep into the history of environmental activism, and that it is typically a judgement call as to whether any particular resource belongs on this page.
For example, a wide array of "activist" resources focused on promoting renewable energy could be placed here, but they can largely be found on the Renewable Energy page.
In general, for climate change activists looking for more "content-based" information, a good next-place to see are the main Mitigation and Adaptation pages and the Divestment section of the Fossil fuels page.
More useful resources will be found at the Environmental activism page.
~~~
Three definitions of Climate Justice
Mary Robinson: Climate justice “insists on a shift from a discourse on greenhouse gases and melting ice caps into a civil rights movement with the people and communities most vulnerable to climate impacts at its heart.”
YCC: “‘Climate justice’ is a term, and more than that a movement, that acknowledges climate change can have differing social, economic, public health, and other adverse impacts on underprivileged populations. Advocates for climate justice are striving to have these inequities addressed head-on through long-term mitigation and adaptation strategies.”
Wikipedia: “Climate justice is a concept that addresses the ethical dimensions of climate change. Applied ethics, research and activism using the term approach anthropogenic climate change as an ethical, legal and political issue, rather than one that is purely environmental or physical in nature. This is done by relating the causes and effects of climate change to concepts of justice, particularly environmental justice and social justice. Climate justice examines concepts such as equality, human rights, collective rights, and the historical responsibilities for climate change.”