In the face of the storm that threatens us, are we all in the same boat?

We live in the midst of a climate crisis. While actions are being discussed at the national and international levels to achieve the goal agreed in 2015 in Paris to limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5 °C, billions of human beings are already suffering from the effects related to climate change. These effects range from threatening food security, to losing our home due to rising sea levels due to the melting of glaciers. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicates, with a high degree of confidence, that human-induced climate change has already caused multiple adverse impacts and losses on natural and social systems (IPCC, 2022 p. 11). In the same way, calculate that approximately 3.3 to 3.6 billion people live in settings that are highly vulnerable to climate change (IPCC, 2022 p. 14), just under half of the humans that exist on the planet. Evidence of impacts, projected risks and vulnerability trends indicate that the world has a short window of time to achieve climate-resilient development (IPCC, 2022 p. 31).

In the context of this enormous civilizational challenge, climate justice emerges, from the political arena, as a set of ways of understanding the relationship between the effects of climate change, justice and human and non-human rights (of nature). Because of the urgency of incorporating this perspective, let's start by understanding what is climate justice? , what roles have the global north and south played in the search for it? , does this search involve all of us? and finally, should companies take action to promote climate justice?

Climate change has different social, economic and public health effects on various social groups, Especially in Vulnerable Groups, thus exacerbating conditions of social inequality.

Brief overview of the call to action: we are sinking!

Climate justice has no single definition. Throughout its history, the concept has incorporated multiple elements both because of the different ways of understanding justice and because of the complexity of climate change and the social movements that have been generated around it (Schlosberg and Collins, 2014; Gabbatiss and Tandon, 2021). Despite this, it is possible to identify key principles and diverse perspectives that shape the multidimensionality of climate justice as an academic, political concept and as a social movement.

Let's start with his story. Although it is not possible to pinpoint a specific place where she was born, certain milestones have been identified over time that have marked her development. A first element is its close relationship with the environmental justice protest movement.

The environmental justice movement exploded with mobilizations against the disposal of toxic waste in Warren County, North Carolina in 1982 (Gabbatiss and Tandon, 2021). It is considered that these demonstrations, predominantly made up of the African-American community, gave rise to the fusion of the civil rights movement and the environmental cause. This initial phase of the movement focused on the inequity of risk distribution and government protection. Warren County gave rise to the first government studies that related the distribution of toxic dumps and the race of the inhabitants. Later, a variety of movements were integrated, including indigenous land defense, those concerned about the health effects caused by pollution, and social movements for social and economic justice (Schlosberg and Collins, 2014). In 1991, these groups celebrated in Washington DC the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit which enacted the “Principles of Environmental Justice” and helped to redefine the concept of environment and the relationship that social groups have with it (Berndt, 2021).

The concept of environmental justice derived from this historic moment set the tone for movements linked to climate. The environment went from being a natural entity disconnected from daily life to being the arena where life develops, also focusing on how environmental risks can affect our daily relationship with the climate. Derived from the union with diverse struggles, the movement added ideas such as The recognition of the sacredness of nature (or of the non-human), a concept derived from indigenous movements. In addition, the definition of climate justice addressed elements such as the distributional inequity of the effects of pollution, the lack of recognition of land management, the dispossession of resources, and the loss of basic needs, capacities and functioning of individuals and communities.

Finally, the environmental justice framework united the struggles for self-determination, sovereignty, human rights and access to natural resources with those that addressed the disproportionate impacts of environmental damage from actions - past and present - on the most vulnerable groups (Schlosberg and Collins, 2014). Later, we will see how these elements found an echo in climate justice.

Climate change took a central role in politics with a series of actions carried out by the international community, such as the adoption of the Montreal Protocol and the creation of the IPCC. The same happened in 1992 with the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, better known as the Rio de Janeiro Conference. Among the main results of this Summit are the Rio Declaration and the opening for signature of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (Fernández-Carril and Ugartechea, 2017). The latter is responsible for organizing the Conferences of the Parties (COP), that is, the instance where member countries negotiate agreements on climate change.

The climate negotiations within the framework of the CoPS became not only the scene of the agreements that would mark the development of climate action to this day, but also The Meeting Point of the Climate Justice Movement. The content of the agreements would become a subject of scrutiny and a basis for theoretical development around climate justice.

The UNFCCC and later the COP3 held in Kyoto, Japan, whose main result was the Kyoto Protocol, introduced two fundamental concepts for climate justice that were especially contentious in the course of climate negotiations: the Principle of shared responsibilities But differentiated And the Polluter Pays Principle. The first is established by the UNFCCC as follows:

“Parties should protect the climate system for the benefit of present and future generations, based on Fairness And in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities and their Respective capacities. Consequently, developed country Parties should take the initiative in combating climate change and its adverse effects” (UNFCCC, 1992, 4).

On the other hand, the second one is adapted by the UNFCCC from principle 13 of the Rio Declaration and establishes the idea of compensation and liability for pollution as a result of industrial and economic activities that have an impact on the environment and on social groups (Fernández-Carril and Ugartechea, 2017):

“Recognizing that States should enact effective environmental laws, that environmental standards, management objectives and priorities should reflect the environmental and development context to which they apply, and that standards applied by some countries may be inadequate and represent an unjustified economic and social cost to other countries, in particular developing countries” (UNFCCC, 1992, 2).

The Principles refer to a central concept of climate justice: historical responsibility. The historical perspective of climate justice indicates that there are several actors (countries, corporations or interest groups) that have brought the climate system to its current state. Thus, these actors would have to bear the primary responsibility for the outcome of their actions and, consequently, act or pay for the consequences of these past transgressions (Schlosberg and Collins, 2014). These ideas recognize that climate change is not a fortuitous event, but rather the result of a set of actions that have shaped the current crisis.

The call for historical responsibility has been supported by the countries of the global South. This block argues that the nations and corporations of industrialized nations (which are mostly part of the countries of the global North) have been enriched by these destructive practices that have disproportionately affected the least developed countries that are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. These claims materialized in the concepts of Climate Debt And of Compensatory Justice. In addition, at this point are added up the demands for a Distributive Justice. In other words, both the costs and benefits of climate change and action to combat it are shared (Gabbatiss and Tandon, 2021).

It is possible to identify as an important political moment in the context of climate debt the COP15 held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2009. During the negotiations, the Bolivian delegation raised not a request for help, but a demand that developed countries (the Global North) pay for their historic debt. This idea was categorically rejected by the United States, who denied a notion of guilt or obligation to make amends. Despite this, it was agreed that industrialized countries would provide $100 trillion a year by 2020 to developing countries, a figure that is considered insufficient (Gabbatiss and Tandon, 2021). This transfer of resources and technology has consistently fallen short year after year, totaling nearly $80 trillion in 2019 (OECD, 2021).

A few months after COP15, the Bolivian government convened the World Peoples' Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth (CMPCC) in response to the Copenhagen Agreement. The conference took place in Cochabamba, Bolivia, on April 22, 2010 and consisted of a joint effort between social movements, unions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and local government. Its celebration marked a milestone in encouraging the participation of peoples and the participation of civil society in the discussion on climate change. During the conference, The People's Agreement was enacted, including the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth (Fernández-Carril and Ugartechea, 2017).

In parallel with the CoPS, social movements, also called grassroots movements, have developed a series of ideas and actions that have integrated what has been developed in the political sphere with a rights-based perspective. This concept has two variants. The first advocates the right to development. It argues that all nations have the right to develop before gaining any responsibility to mitigate climate change, echoing principles related to historical responsibility and a just transition (Gabbatiss and Tandon, 2021). On the other hand, the human rights-based perspective considers that climate change violates basic human rights to life, livelihood and health (Ibid.). In addition, it is recognized that climate change has different social, economic and public health effects on various social groups, Especially in Vulnerable Groups (low-income communities, racialized people, indigenous people, women, people with different abilities, young or elderly population, among others), thus exacerbating conditions of social inequality (Simmons, 2020). At this point it is considered to be key the recognition both of the different ways in which climate change is experienced, and of respect for expressing these differences (Gabbatiss and Tandon, 2021).

The participation of society has shaped the fight for climate justice and in some cases has significantly influenced the political arena. One of the first mentions of the concept of climate justice is found in the document “Greenhouse Gangsters and Climate Justice” Published by the Organization CorpWatch in 1999. This text focused its attention on the role of oil companies in enriching themselves at the expense of human rights and environmental health, demanding their responsibility. This organization was responsible for organizing, in the context of COP6 in 2000, the first Climate Justice Summit in The Hague, the Netherlands. Two years later, within the framework of the Johannesburg Earth Summit, a group of organizations proclaimed The Bali Principles: This document, based on the 1991 Principles of Environmental Justice, is seen as the first international declaration of the core principles of climate justice (Schlosberg and Collins, 2014; EJNET, 2002).

Derived from the inertia of these events, the following moments that shape the current conception of climate justice stand out:

• In the framework of COP13 in Bali, the coalition was formed Climate Justice Now! which integrates movements from the North focused on carbon markets and the actions of oil companies, with movements from the global South, especially from the indigenous struggle. The founding statement focused on social, ecological and gender justice, demanding policies and practices that protect livelihoods and the environment (Schlosberg and Collins, 2014).
• In the framework of COP16 in Copenhagen, civil society organized the KlimaForum, an alternative forum to the COP. This event resulted in a declaration that gave substance to the movement, demanding the following elements: abandoning fossil fuels, economic transfers from north to south in payment of ecological debt based on historical responsibility, food and territorial sovereignty for vulnerable communities and in transition to sustainable practices and, finally, they criticized the promotion of market-based solutions as the only solutions to the climate crisis, considering them false and unfair (Schlosberg and Collins, 2014).
• With a view to COP21 in Paris, the Coalition was formed from civil society Peoples Climate Which marked a milestone in climate mobilization. On the occasion of the 2014 Climate Summit, held on September 23 at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York City, there was one of the largest climate marches in history (Foderaro, 2014). Organizers report that on September 21, more than 400,000 people, 1,572 different organizations and 50,000 university students took to the streets of Manhattan to demand urgent action from world leaders against climate change. Parallel to the march, there were 2,646 events in 162 countries that mobilized the world demanding climate action (Peoples Climate, 2014).

In addition to traditional movements, a global movement driven by young people has recently taken shape. These mobilizations are mainly motivated by concern about the generational injustice represented by the effects of climate change. This is because younger generations - and generations to come - are not responsible for most historical emissions, but will face the worst impacts of these. The greatest example of youth mobilizations is found in Fridays For Future (FFF). The movement began in August 2018 by a 15-year-old girl, Greta Thunberg, who began a climate strike every Friday. Today FFF accumulates mobilizations and strikes in 216 countries, 8,600 cities, 148,000 events and 116 million participants (FFF, 2022). Probably the fastest growing social movement in history.

The climate injustice represented by climate change is easily recognized by young people, as it directly attacks their right to have a future.

Does the quest for climate justice involve all of us?

Yes, we're all in the same boat. With regard to this statement, the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has stated that:”Climate change is happening now and it affects us all, and, as is always the case, the poor and the most vulnerable are the first to suffer and the most affected” (UN, 2019). If climate change affects us all, we should all be concerned about acting against its effects. Despite this, climate justice presents us with an ethical dilemma that is not so easy to answer. As seen in the previous section of this article, climate change affects us in different ways, depending on a number of social and economic factors. In this sense, it is pertinent to ask ourselves: should we worry about others when apparently we do not experience the adverse effects of climate change in our daily lives?

I will try to give a brief answer to this dilemma. The science of climate change clearly tells us that we have an increasingly shorter window of time to act (IPCC, 2022). The English newspaper The Guardian I reported a few days ago that English scientists predict that we have a 50% chance of exceeding the 1.5 °C goal set out in the Paris Agreement in the next 5 years (Carrington, May 9, 2022). The forecasts and data, despite being convincing and unambiguous, provide, in my opinion, only half the answer. The other half is in social mobilizations, especially those led by young people. The climate injustice represented by climate change is easily recognized by young people, as it directly attacks their right to have a future. The threat that this crisis presents to a decent life - today for the most vulnerable groups and tomorrow for everyone - is enough to take to the streets despite the fact that apparently we are not affected by climate change today. This ability to understand the urgency is what has led them to join a movement that since the nineties demands that science be heard, the calls for justice and a change in the course that climate action has taken so far.

The call for climate justice has been operationalized in a variety of ways. As described previously, mobilizations and forums from civil society are means that today continue to be key and to which we can all join. Additionally, a series of examples of climate litigation will be reviewed. In recent years, this path of action has taken on special relevance in action for climate justice, as it is considered a way to directly influence climate governance.

The case of Urgenda it is perhaps the paradigmatic case of legal action for climate justice. This is the first lawsuit in history filed by civil society against its federal government, holding it responsible for not protecting citizens against the effects of climate change. The lawsuit occurred on November 20, 2013 in a court in The Hague by the NGO Urgenda and 886 individual citizens, against the Dutch government (Urgenda, 2022). The plaintiffs built their legal argument based on the science of the IPCC, the legal axioms of prohibiting States from polluting to the extent that it harms other States, on the precautionary principle and on the risk that climate change represents to human rights (Cox, 2014). After nearly two years of litigation, on June 24, 2015, the court issued an order to the Dutch government to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 25% for a period of 5 years. On October 9, 2018, the court's ruling was appealed by the State. On December 9, 2019, the court again ruled in favor of Urgent. This victory in court set the first precedent for society to legally demand that its governments act against the effects of climate change (Urgenda, 2022).

Mexico is no stranger to this trend of legal actions seeking climate justice, so below is an example taken directly from the Climate Litigation Platform for America and the Caribbean. On this portal, the reader will be able to find case models from different countries in the region. What has happened in our country?

“Youth and NGOs vs. the government for compliance with the General Law on Climate Change in Mexico:

On December 5, 2019, a group of young people, accompanied by the organization Environmental Defense of the Northwest, filed an amparo lawsuit against the Mexican government to demand that it comply with the General Law on Climate Change and issue the regulations and public policies that derive from it. According to a press release published by Northwest Environmental Defense, “the demand for guarantees presented by these young people was framed in the global discussion about the planet's climate emergency, in which, during 2019, a document signed by 11,000 scientists from all over the world warned that if immediate action is not taken, the effects of climate change could be devastating. In the lawsuit, young people request that their human rights be protected, guaranteed and repaired, fundamental rights against the omissions of the responsible authorities. So far there is no ruling or decision. The case is still active (Climate Litigation Platform for America and the Caribbean, 2022b).”

Take advantage of the wind, raise the sails

The efforts generated for law enforcement and for the search for a decent future for all are comprehensive and forceful, however, the fight for climate justice is not an easy fight. The climate crisis urgently needs a comprehensive solution, so it's not just exclusive to civil society or governments, companies can also participate and play an indispensable role.

Since the climate justice movement, companies, especially large corporations, have been subject to criticism for their contribution to generating the emissions that cause climate change, for their influence on the course that climate negotiations have taken and for their active role in promoting instruments that are considered false and that add to climate injustice (Gabbatiss and Tandon, 2021). However, the private sector has the potential to use capital and its influence in new ways.

The participation of the private sector is necessary for the resolution of the climate crisis; in some cases vital in the absence of political will. Examples of this are the actions taken by companies in the United States such as Starbucks, which began to Integrated strategies based on equity of their climate solutions or Patagonia, which gives funding for groups that work to combat environmental problems in indigenous territories (Harris, 2020; McCabe, 2021). In the search for climate justice, this sector could begin by actively listening to the demands of civil society, using them as a guide for the implementation of corporate actions.

The interference of the private sector, but above all, that of the corporate sector involves a set of actions that not only have the potential to impact people's quality of life, but can also encourage economic growth, by maintaining options for future partners, clients, the workforce and even helping to improve the company's reputation (McCabe, 2021). Climate impacts are also business impacts.

The moral and economic imperative to develop fairer and more sustainable business practices that put people and the environment at the center may seem like a complex task, but it is necessary to start now. Nowadays there are several initiatives that seek to guide along this path. Some examples of actions that can be taken from the corporate world are (McCabe, 2021; BCCC, 2022):

• Take Responsibility of their historic role as major emitters, starting with recognizing it.
• Measure GHG emissions and other environmental impacts
• Develop and invest in production or compensation mechanisms that effectively and fairly reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and their direct and indirect environmental effects.
• Putting People and Equity at the Center. Listen to social demand and examine how vulnerable communities are disproportionately affected.
• To serve as facilitators of a just transition by focusing their social efforts on the groups most vulnerable to climate change, providing resources, knowledge and technology for them.
• Working hand in hand with collectives, scientists and the government. The climate crisis requires concerted action, not isolated initiatives.

Climate justice is constantly evolving, however, more than an excuse, it represents an opportunity to find the various ways to act on its behalf. From a conceptual point of view, climate justice has incorporated multiple dimensions throughout its development. This review did not seek to be exhaustive, but rather to deepen historical and human rights perspectives in order to envision the need to address a global problem with solutions of the same scope. From the point of view of social movements, climate justice is a living movement that takes up the ideas of the struggle for environmental justice and is nourished by scrutiny and criticism of the historic process of negotiations and actions taken by governments and corporations in the context of the UNFCCC.

Examples such as the FFF movement, new climate litigation and just climate action initiatives from the private sector give new energy to the search for climate justice. In a context of urgency in the face of the imminent disaster that involves exceeding the 1.5°C threshold, intersectoral cooperation on a global scale is key today more than ever. Under the framework of climate justice and only based on an intense exchange and commitment between society, companies and governments it will be possible to move towards climate-resilient development paths that allow us to maintain prosperous societies and ecosystems.

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