OUR MEMBERS
OUR MEMBERS
UK YOUTH CLIMATE COALITION
Roll up, roll up the youth have arrived, and we are taking the planet by storm. Youth voices are taking center stage in the fight against climate injustice and we couldn't be more thrilled. So here at UKYCC we launched our YOUTH VOICES platform to try and gather youth perspectives on climate change from across the globe.
Are you young with a story to share? Send answers to the question "What does climate justice mean to you?" along with your name, age, location and a photo of you to hello@ukycc.org.
Climate justice to me means how we have shown equity and fairness to the state of the atmosphere we live in.
I want to plant 1000 Eucalyptus trees to combat this climate injustice caused by felling of trees.
Martha, 30, Nigeria
Climate justice to me means being a steward to the earth. Climate change effects are put into a social context, and are examined with aspects like gender equality and poverty. Climate justice is a dedication that helps spread the responsibility of climate change across the whole human population.
Jennifer, 20, Kent
Climate justice is ensuring bodies (nations, companies, individuals, communities) are responsibility for their effect on the climate no matter where the effects are felt. It is making sure that there is not further reinforcement of poverty through the effects of others actions. Climate justice is also enabling everyone, globally, to be empowered in tackling climate change.
Emma, 21, Durham
In my view, Climate justice entials fair treatment to all people irrespective of race, background and identity. Climate justice entails the fair treatment of all people and freedom from all forms of discrimination."
Moroever, it also entails the equal access to what is accessible in the world irrespectives of culture, background, disabilitie ,gender etc.
Conclusively, I am a supporter of Climate justice ,I say a big No to Injustice and an absolute YES to Equity!
Elizabeth, 25, Nigeria
Climate justice is a redressal of the power dynamic which inflicts the consequences of climate change on the people with the least agency to prevent it or protect themselves from it.
Freddie, 19,
North Yorkshire
To me, climate justice means ensuring that the most vulnerable communities are given the support to be able to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change. It means ensuring that countries that are the wealthiest and most responsible for climate change take responsibility for both reducing their own greenhouse gas emissions, and supporting the development of other countries to a low-carbon future. Climate justice means ensuring that changes made during the transition to lower-carbon technologies do not come with the exploitation of people in developing nations, and that the lives of non-white, poor and indigenous people around the world are valued and their voices heard in the fight against climate change.
Katie, 23, Derby
To me, climate justice is the concept of forcing large multi-national corporations to be held accountable for the terrible environmental conditions they’ve helped facilitate through output of harmful greenhouse gases. It means penalising such corporations for their greed, and demanding that they make a swift change or cease operations. It also means replanting trees that have been bulldozed for capitalist profit in places like the Amazon.
Rebecca, 19, Glasgow
Climate justice is to educate young leaders to address the problems of climate change. We know how.
Daniel, 28, Spain
Natalie, 23, Colombia
It is knowing that I can stay in my homeland. I am not forced to immigrate and be shunned in the pursue of food and shelter.
For me, climate justice means ensuring that the social, political, economic and environmental consequences of climate change caused by more economically developed countries is fairly rectified.
Pooja, 22, Leicester
Climate justice is ensuring that the most vulnerable countries, including those who are currently suffering the brunt of climate change, are able to enjoy their right to a liveable and safe climate - it is making sure that the callous actions of a few countries are not dictating the future of dozens others. Rather, we should be supporting them, sharing, and working together to build a better world for everyone.
Gabby, 18, Kent
Suliman, 25, Afghanistan
Climate justice is the fair treatment of all people and the freedom from discrimination in the creation of policies and projects.
Working at the intersections of environmental degradation and the racial, social, and economic inequities it perpetuates.
Otwii, 30, Uganda
A proposition that explains the consequences of human activities as felt by those nations who least contribute to global warming.
Kevin, 21, Kenya
Climate justice means taking immediate action to both mitigate and adapt to climate change, with an approach which takes into account systemic inequality as well as the imbalance of who (e.g western countries and big corporates) is behind the majority of greenhouse gas emissions.
Sarah, 25, London
Climate Justice is a social, economic, ecological and environmental justice issue which must be addressed in broad with visionary alliances
Akindele, 30, London
Protecting the planet; it's biodiversity, biosphere and the people on it. Without this planet, we would not be here, and climate justice, to me, is giving everything we can to conserve it as much as we can.
India, 21, Leicester
Climate Justice is the process of protecting environment (forest) through initializing laws and enforcing them.
Amosi, 28, Tanzania
Climate justice means to me, that developing countries and oppressed populations would not be disproportionately affected by climate change caused by the developed, western countries who once exploited them through colonialism as well. Then again, we are now in a situation where both developed and developing countries have to cut emissions drastically to reach our target of 2 degrees. To ensure that developing countries still have their right to develop, developed countries have to scale up international climate finance to fulfill just and fair conduct in global climate change policy.
Nelli, 23, Glasgow
For me climate justice is about recognising the grave inequity of contribution to climate change and that is what the entire climate movement should be based around. It is not just the young who have to deal with the consequences of what previous generation's have and continue to do to the planet - it goes far deeper than that. It is fundamentally the case that it is those who are poor or working class, a person of colour or a member of an indigenous group, a woman or from a poorer country that contribute the least to climate change but feel its impacts the worst. We must not only recognise this, but use it to frame our positive, inclusive movement to build a sustainable and just future. It is because of this that there must be more focus on community-led solutions that can safeguard and promote the wellbeing of local communities of all backgrounds. Communities must be at the heart of our movement, instead of neoliberal, market-based, top-down solutions that bypass, and marginalise, the people who need protecting the most.
Ralph, 23, London
To me, climate justice is about looking at the ethical issues around climate change, not just the physical impacts. For example, looking at how people unequally feel the impacts of environmental disasters. For example, Oxfam have reported that women are most at risk of monsoon floods in Bangladesh, perhaps as many feel that they cannot leave their homes at risk as they feel that this is their ‘duty’ to look after it and be seen to be there. This example shows that climate change is not just an issue that impacts the environment, but also the people within it, and that they perhaps feel the impacts differently.
Lorna, 23, Glasgow
Kiconco, 30, Uganda
Free and fair use of the environment without destruction while considering the next generations.
Climate justice means regulation. System-level changes must be introduced to disarm the worst polluters and place progressive caps on the permitted levels of emissions. I also believe in the ‘polluter pays’ principle. Those states and companies with the worst environmental records, since the advent of industrialisation, must be subjected to the harshest sanctions.
Oliver, 21, Bristol
As a form of environmental justice, climate justice is the fair treatment of all people and the freedom from discrimination.
Abdullah, 21, Somalia
Danielle, 18,
United States
Climate justice is climate action. Our daily dialogue must be geared towards climate action and climate justice.
Climate justice is all about global campaign against climatic change and climatic distruction
Juma, 22, Tanzania
Santosh, 29,
India
It is the fundamental right and individual responsibility of every existing living being in the planet to achieve a balance,
Climate justice is equity to me. It is treating everyone equally and supplying people with what they need. Climate justice is the equal protection from climate change of all different populations no matter race, gender, or ethnicity. Climate justice is the one singular idea that could lead to a sustainable society, without it sustainability would not work.
Thomas, 19,
Newcastle-Under-Lyme
Climate justice is the equability and fair treatment of all people and the freedom from discrimination on the use of resources.
Were Bob, 24, Uganda
To me, climate justice means that the most vulnerable are protected from the impacts of climate change and offered compensation for any damage already caused to their livelihoods. The most vulnerable can be poor communities in the global south, or the younger generations around the world who will have to deal with the fallout from climate change. Assistance from developed countries is necessary to ensure justice, since they have contributed the bulk of greenhouse gas emissions and bear more historical responsibility for climate change.
Micheal, 24, London
I think climate justice is about confronting the imbalance and inequalities of climate change, whereby those most vulnerable to climate change have contributed the least to it and don’t have the necessary resources available to rectify it or live sustainably. All countries globally will need to work to a common interest and achieve sustainable, carbon neutral economies at similarly rapid rates.
Kevin, 26, London
It means a world where all people, present and future, are valued equally. A world where the past contributions of developed countries to the current atmospheric CO2 levels are acknowledged. A world where disproportionate effects on the world’s most vulnerable people are tackled and prevented. A world where the burden that future generations will have to carry is recognised. To achieve climate justice, we need to reframe human priorities and to accept responsibility for a problem of our making.
Emily 25, Oxford
For me climate justice means having an understanding of the inequality that is at the heart of climate change. Basically, those who contribute least towards global warming are often those who suffer the worst of its effects. Having an understanding of climate justice or climate injustice means having an understanding of intersectionality and how various experiences of disadvantage interact and work together in order to compound inequality. It is necessary to understand that the most vulnerable and disadvantaged are most at risk from the effect of climate change and any approach to tackling environmental issues must take this into account.
Sinéad, 24, Belfast
Zebedy, 23, Papua New Guinea
Climate justice is a medium of securing protecting and upholding the natural beauty of our planet and future of unborn generation
It is a fair way of treating the environment like living and be protected from any form of harm.
These pictures show the same scene of destroyed tree life forest for money. This injustice is making me sick of how the desert is increasing due to global warming and climate change due to tree cutting. I wish had away to return the world to its original form.
Roeclain, 28, Kenya
Climate justice is a term used for framing global warming as an ethical and political issue, rather than one that is purely environmental or physical in nature. This is done by relating the effects of climate change to concepts of justice, particularly environmental justice and social justice and by examining issues such as equality, human rights, collective rights, and the historical responsibilities for climate change.
A fundamental proposition of climate justice is that those who are least responsible for climate change suffer its gravest consequences. World of Peace and Harmony which gives humanity a happy mother earth.
Nolan, 30, Soloman Islands
Tanaka, 20,
Zimbabwe
Climate justice is the fair treatment of all people, policies and projects that address climate change
Charlotte, 28,
Zimbabwe
Climate justice , to me, means that there is ownership of the effects of climate change by those that are responsible for them,
Climate justice means to me first and foremostly avoiding climate catastrophe as outlined by the UN’s Panel on Global Climate Change within the next 11 years. I believe this can be achieved by radically rethinking how our economy works and transitioning to a society that embraces the idea of a heavily reduced or zero carbon circular economy built on reducing, re-using and recycling materials. I believe climate justice is non-partisan, and every effort must be taken to frame the discussion in a way that appeals to people of all social backgrounds and political persuasions.
Jaskirat, 26, London
To me, climate justice indicates how the effects of climate change may vary depending on social status, country and the development stage of a population. The term reflects how poverty and political representation can result in varied responses to mitigating against climate change. In many cases, those who contribute the least to anthropogenic climate change, may be the worst affected. As a result it can be argued that those with the most power and influence should act for change.
Frederick, 25, Chester
Recognising that often people who have done the least to contribute to climate change will suffer its most terrible consequences.
Taking action on a scale that such deep and widespread injustice like this calls for.
Creating a world where someone born anywhere can grow up safe in the knowledge that the places and people they love the most aren’t at risk.
Sam, 22, Birmingham
Life. Not just for me but every single living organism that are affected by the world that is interconnected with cause and effect.
Grace, 18, Bradford
In my eyes it means holding those most responsible for climate change to account. Those the least responsible for causing climate change, will be the most negatively affected by it which is a huge injustice. It means creating a society and a world which operates sustainably and in harmony with nature and in which everybody has equal responsibility for our climate.
Thomas, 18, England
For me, climate justice is the opportunity to improve everyone’s quality of life while combating climate change and protecting natural environments. Climate justice is recognising that those contributing the least to climate change are suffering the most severe consequences of it, and that we need a system change to address this inequality. Climate justice is the goal, but it’s also a framework for how to take practical decisions in order to change this social and economic system.
Rebecka, 26, Scotland
To me, climate justice means being honest about what true democracy and true sustainability would look like. It's about honesty because we need to fully comprehend the damage that has been done so far, who has caused it, to include the perspectives of those from across the globe, especially those most vulnerable. Creating a truly democratic system means giving everyone a say, internationally, at all levels. It also means taking into account who is "not in the room", the future generations and cultures that have been destroyed. This means empowering all people to have creative control over their own futures. Climate justice is also about true sustainability, creating lifestyles which are compatible with local resources and future generations' wellbeing, but also the sustainability of cultures, diversity, and non-human life on earth.
Frankie, 23, Exeter
Climate justice means preserving the earth for generations to come. It means taking action when those in power won’t and putting the planet over profits. It means creating sustainable futures for everyone.
Daisy, 18, Middlesbrough
To me, climate justice means clean, renewable, affordable energy for all; it means less meat and dairy consumed worldwide; it means taxing the rich for behaviours that harm the earth (such a frequent flying). Climate justice means aid and solutions for those displaced by climate change; it means an intersectional look at the way climate change disproportionately aspects minority groups and the global south, and solutions to this problem. Climate justice to me means holding the 1% and their corrupt institutions accountable for their actions, and offering aid and practical solutions to the people affected by those actions. It also means justice for other species; an end to habitat destruction, ocean plastics, and downward turn in biodiversity - socially conscious wildlife conservation with a focus on community engagement would be imperative to this.
Phoebe, 21, Somerset
It means a gateway to a connective worldwide society that cares for ourselves and our people by caring for the environment. A fairer, greener society of every race and religion and gender that can work together to preserve our planet and civilisations.
Samuel, 17, Kent
Climate justice is the tackling of climate change as ethical and political issue as well as a physical and environmental one. Climate justice means incorporating sustainability in every aspect of our livelihoods and recognising that climate change affects the vulnerable with greater impact.
Emma, 20, Wolvercote
To me, climate justice means seeing an end to the unchecked greed and consumption - the consequences of which fall on those who were not ultimately responsible for it. It also means dismantling the systematic oppressions that allow consumers of natural resources to exploit both disempowered members of society and our planet.
Lisa, 22, Northern Ireland
Climate justice represents one of the major factors which we should be aware of. We should all have the same right to clean water, the right to live and remain where we are, the right to chose a good environment to live in and be brought up. However, our geographical location of where we are born does influence all those rights. Therefore, as a global world system, climate rights should be implemented in order to fully ensure that each individuals do not sacrifice those rights only because of where they are born. Climate justice incorporates a careful analysis of each state's history, to then understand how to face climate change regarding this factor. .
Bonnie, 20, Scotland
Zablon, 25,
Kenya
Working for climate justice means all people, regardless of the place they're born, the year they're born or the colour of their skin.
The acknowledgement that unfortunately climate change does discriminate. It describes how those who are most responsible for global emissions will be least vulnerable to its impact. Climate change will be yet another factor to add to the intersectional oppression faced by many communities throughout the UK and around the world. It incorporates movements and people that are trying to raise awareness of the disconnect between responsibility and impact, giving a voice to those who have felt silenced by governments and previous environmentalist movements and practicing active listening to the communities and individuals which have first hand experiences of climate change and capitalist irresponsibility.
Nia, 21, Wales
Liza, 23,
Kenya
Climate justice means giving climate its right! We been altering with its occurences which has resulted to climate change.
Climate justice to me is addressing the climate catastrophe and taking into account that climate catastrophe is disproportionately affecting the people who are the least responsible for greenhouse gas emissions. This means countries that have benefited from fossil fuel usage to hold moral and legal responsibilities for leading the just transition to renewable energy, and providing support and finances to the Global South to help them mitigate and prevent further climate catastrophe.
Amina, 27, London
Climate justice to me, is recognising that climate change will not be fairly distributed and fundamentally those who have contributed least will be impacted the most. This therefore must be considered and recognised in our approach to fighting against climate change. It is also recognising that this provides an opportunity to fight for the equal rights and justice for vulnerable groups, and that these groups are even more at risk to the consequences of climate change.
Rebecca, 25, London
Climate justice is a diverse concept to me which contains many concepts. Initially, there is an element of inter-generational equity, securing the same environmental resources enjoyed by the current generation by the future generations. Alternatively, intra-generational equity is appropriate, for securing resources amongst the current generation, regardless of nationality, race, creed and culture and socio-economic context. Democratic decision-making as to how nations can appropriately develop to raise and/or maintain their standard of living and level of economic growth. Developing countries/Annex 2 countries would have similar opportunities as their Annex I counterparts, but having the foresight to ‘leapfrog’ some of their environmental mistakes. There is great consideration and a practical agenda for resilience for the Developing countries and especially Small Island Developing States whom have contributed little to climate change but disproportionately affected by implications.
William, 27, Watford
Justina, 30, Nigeria
Climate justice is a medium of securing protecting and upholding the natural beauty of our planet and future of unborn generation
Ijabla, 24,
Nigeria
Climate justice means to me when there is equity in every sphere of government.
Climate justice to me means doing what is right for all life on earth, it means absolute purpose. There is absolutely nothing I feel worth dedicating my life and work to than protecting and saving the very thing that gives us all life. I think by bringing certain unique skills to the table and by working with others with their unique skills, we can really make a difference and bring justice to the climate.
Robyn, 23, Glasgow
- Those most affected by climate impacts are able to withstand climate shocks and bounce back from them quickly
- Social and economic transformation to accompany mitigation and adaptation, so people become empowered through climate solutions
- Children growing up not having to worry about climate risks to life and livelihoods
Sadie, 23, London
Climate justice is about ensuring that we are looking after the planet we live on. The earth isn't a chest of resources to be used and exploited, it's a trove of beauty and a source of wellness to be loved and enjoyed. Climate justice means fighting for this vision. It means ensuring that people can continue to love and enjoy this planet for generations to come. It means that those that have been historically successful due to using the Earth's resources should lead in moving towards a carbon-neutral future, ensuring that we can address historic injustices through this movement and we don't have further crises leading from climate devastation like the refugee crises.
Jawwad, 22, Sunderland
Desmond, 25, Kenya
These are the roots causes of global warming
Chikere, 24, Nigeria
Climate injustices tells the story of how our everyday choices as human has adversely affected our environment and climate.
To me, climate justice means an alignment of sustainability and social justice. I was really inspired by Kate Raworth’s thesis in 'Doughnut Economics' that GDP growth is an insufficient measure of prosperity and ignores both social inequality and the impact of continuous economic growth on the environment. By rejecting this narrative, we can refocus the direction of society towards both sustainability and equality and create a far more prosperous future.
Hannah, 22, Oxford
For me, climate justice means bringing our government and others to account not only for decisions made in the past and continuing to be made that are detrimental to our environment, but also their lack of action against climate change. It’s hoping that any children I may have, who don’t deserve to bear the brunt of decisions taken before they were born, grow up to see real change happen. It’s fighting for a sustainable future for all, no matter what part of the world you’re from.
Harriet, 23, London
To me, climate justice isn’t just about saving the planet for future generations, but about respecting the planet which provides for us in so many ways, as well as the other species which inhabit it. Just as recent justice movements have made our society change in order to be more accepting of all, I believe that we should be more careful with the power we have across the world and fully understand the effects of our actions.
Kate, 18, Scotland
Climate justice will be accomplished when people take the consequences of their actions into account when making a decision. I understand it is important to prosper as a species, but we cannot do this at the expense of the planet and its other inhabitants. To put it simply, climate justice will be accomplished when we find a fair balance between achieving human prosperity and the wellbeing of the planet.
Sion, 25, Swansea
The demand for climate justice is what breaks through the complacency, the denial and the pessimism of the business as usual approach to climate change. Greta Thunberg standing outside the Swedish Parliament week after week reminded us all that it is today’s young people and future generations who will face the worst consequences from current leaders’ inaction. Calls for climate justice should focus on three things. Firstly, recognition of how people are differently affected by climate change and how interventions might exacerbate or redress existing inequalities. The second focus should be on procedural justice: ensuring future generations are given a strong voice and fossil fuel companies who have consistently hidden evidence on climate change are marginalised. Thirdly, a focus on how the costs and benefits of climate change are distributed, such as between generations and nations.
Ben, 23 UK
Emmanuel, 24,
Kenya
The ability to safeguard earth's resources that have a relation to weather conditions for the sake of future generations.
Liliane, 26,
Rwanda
Climate justice means no borders for refugee because they are the leaders,entrepreneurs and peacemakers of tomorrow.
Bilshan, 22, Kenya
Climate justice is the key solution to the looming catastrophe which is a result of the various forms of pollution.
The threat of human rights at the hands of human-caused climate change represents climate injustice for me, as it is so often those who produce the least greenhouse gas emissions who are the worst affected and those who produce the most, often in the West, who will be the least affected. Not to mention the great injustice imposed on the natural world as a result of human-action. The destruction of the environment at the hands of human, and often profit-focused, action is completely unjustified. Climate justice, for me, is to rectify two things.
Emma, 21, Derbyshire
I feel that climate justice is an essential participatory movement which is based on physical science but demands awareness and recognition for those that feel the impacts of climate change disproportionately. Those who are impoverished, silenced, and marginalised must be represented and the burden of climate change should be shared in an equitable way. I believe it is paramount that climate justice is fought for in all regional, national, and international decision-making processes.
Mia, 22, Bristol
Matsobane Jan Malema,
25, South Africa
To me, climate justice is not a broad concept as perceived by many that it entails ethics and politics, to me its a human issue.
To me climate justice means the right everyone has to a safe, steady and conducive climate for human life to conduct fulfilling activities.
Tobi, 24, Bristol
The majority of this planet's current issues are man-made, and thus I believe this gives us a moral responsibility to not only right the wrongs we have committed but also learn from past mistakes and to stop stealing time from future generations.
Elouise, 21, Norwich
Obed, 28,
Ghana
Climate justice is a rights-based framework: It advocates not just for individual liberties, but for collective rights of groups
David, 30,
Zimbabwe
The climate change being caused by ethical and political issues and we the young, least responsible, suffer most.
Climate justice means taking responsibility now for our past, present and future actions. Mass development using fossil fuels could be excused historically when knowledge of its impact was less well understood, however our past ignorance does not exempt us from current responsibility.
Andrew, 29, London
It is the ability to leave the planet hospitable to any generations, groups of people and animals around the world. It is to work together to understand the consequences of our actions on a large scale and to actively avert (or revert) them without leaving anyone behind.
Marco, 24, Edinburgh
Asif, 25,
Afghanistan
Climate Justice to me means that those who contributed to Climate Change should take responsibility for the mess they created.
Human impacts on the Earth, the biggest change in both histories of human and planetary existence
Alys, 26, Valencia
Erinayo, 30, Nigeria
That all countries of the world jointly work together in reducing green house emissions
It means everything
Peter, 30, UK
Climate justice is putting the environment on a political and ethical standing. It is the understanding that changes to the environment will have repercussions across the whole of society, that cannot be simply labelled as ‘environmental effects’.
Sophie, 23, Edinburgh
It means us all uniting and supporting each other, locally but also globally, in whatever ways we can to move towards a more environmentally friendlier way of living. It means not judging people for the efforts they make but helping them to improve.
In particular it means to me working to an end-goal of climate change issues coming to the forefront of global policy, so that it can filter through to every day life and every single person being conscientious of the issues.
Maddie, 20, Scunthorpe
Climate justice identifies and symbolises the mistakes that have been made in the past, and the future that is envisioned is created. To ensure that environmental issues are viewed holistically and a fairer society is built to consider all groups. I personally believe starts with education and should be driven by the younger generation. I have seen first hand, and researched, the impact of climate change on the most vulnerable groups globally. Climate change is happening and it's time for climate justice.
Lindsay, 24, Hampshire
Climate justice means looking beyond our immediate lives. Those who suffer the most from climate change are not the ones who are causing the disaster, those being namely wealthy Western states. An approach to tackling climate change needs to keep this in mind, realising that states/communities must be allowed to develop sustainably and not simply suffer even more due from Western solutions to largely Western-caused problems. (I would add also that the working-class in wealthy states still carry a large burden from climate change, so their lives and livelihoods are not unaffected.) Further, climate justice means recognising that climate change is not just an environmental/scientific issue. It is one inherently interconnected with human rights, indigenous rights, feminism, voices marginalised by neoliberalism. Solutions to climate change should thus not focus solely on the environment but also how environmental destruction marginalises certain voices/communities more.
Henry, 22, St. Andrews
Khurram, 27
Pakistan
As a dweller of mountain community of Hindukush climate justice means a balance of nature which means a lot for all lives.
I always come back to the fact that it's the poorest and most vulnerable people who will be the most at risk from drastic climate change in the near future, and right now. Climate change is strongly linked with social and economic issues, particularly in terms of peace, migration, and health. I think it's important that those of us in a position to be part of the solution take this responsibility seriously on behalf of the many people already experiencing damaging changing climates.
Annie, 23, England
