What is Climate Justice and how does it relate to climate negotiations?
This concept focuses on the fact that the climate crisis does not affect everyone to the same degree and that solutions and global negotiations should center around the most vulnerable communities
Indigenous children play in the Solimoes River during the Alvaraes Indigenous Intercultural Games and Dances. Photo: Michael Dantas / AFP
The climate crisis is, first and foremost, a crisis of inequality. The concept of “Climate Justice” highlights the fact that the impacts of climate change are not felt equally: Black and Indigenous people, residents of underprivileged neighborhoods, traditional peoples and communities, persons with disabilities and women and children are among those most affected – even though they have contributed the least to the problem.
This approach has its roots in the 1960s and 1970s, when social justice movements started to engage with environmental issues. In the United States, the civil rights movement denounced how African American communities suffered disproportionately from the effects of pollution and environmental degradation, which led to the emergence of the concept of Environmental Justice. In the 1980s, the activist Benjamin Chavis Jr. coined the term environmental racism, highlighting how unjust environmental policies reinforce racial and socioeconomic inequalities. The concept of Climate Justice arose from these foundations and combines climate action with social justice.
In Brazil, where a rich socioenvironmental diversity coexists with profound inequalities, Climate justice is particularly urgent. Traditional communities and Indigenous peoples, who play a central role in protecting nature, are facing the destruction of their territories and threats to their ways of life due to policies that favor deforestation and activities that cause pollution.
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Promoting Climate Justice means ensuring that responses to the climate crisis are underpinned by equity, human rights, and dignity, guaranteeing that no community is left behind and that solutions address the structural causes of inequality.
Climate Justice on the international stage
Global climate negotiations are also strategic arenas for advancing this agenda. The Bonn Conference, held annually in preparation for the UN’s COP, brings together representatives from governments and civil society to discuss the direction of international climate policy.
This year, over 300 civil society organizations and Indigenous peoples submitted a letter to the UN calling for urgent reform of the climate negotiation process. Conectas, and other organizations, also presented a document outlining priorities for COP30, which will be hosted by Brazil, in the Amazon region, in 2025.
For these organizations, COP30 represents a historic opportunity to make negotiations fairer, more transparent, and more resistant to the influence of polluting sectors. Their main demands include: fair climate financing; adaptation based on human rights; transition to a low-carbon economy; and the effective participation of the populations most affected.
Camila Mikie Nakaharada, an advisor at Conectas, stated during the Bonn Conference that Brazil has a crucial responsibility on its hands: “The world is expecting the country to strengthen multilateral forums and to take the lead in terms of the transformations needed to advance the implementation of the Paris Agreement with justice for those most affected.” She also stressed that the so-called “Turning Point COP” must begin with a genuine commitment to human rights, greater inclusion of socioenvironmental defenders, and reforms in climate governance. Publication of the Host Country Agreement would be an important step in this direction.
During the SB62 in Bonn, Conectas co-hosted the side event “Global Goal on Adaptation – necessary data on race and gender”. The session, attended by 150 participants, focused on the inclusion of social markers – such as race and gender – in establishing the indicators of the Global Goal on Adaptation. The event underscored the importance of disaggregated data to ensure effective and fair adaptation policies, while also showing the strategic role that side events play in pushing for participation and accountability in climate negotiations.
In addition to Conectas, the event was also organized by Geledés – Black Women’s Institute, The Network for Anti-Racist Adaptation, the International Institute for Education of Brazil (IEB), the Institute for Religious Studies (ISER), Instituto Decodifica, Black Voices for the Climate Network, CEERT and the SOS Mata Atlântica Foundation.
The role of Brazil and civil society
Brazilian civil society has been standing out for taking the voices of local communities to the center of the process of decision-making on the climate. Organizations from Brazil have been insisting that communities that have been excluded in the past – Black and Indigenous people and residents of underprivileged neighborhoods – are also the most affected and, must therefore occupy a central role in the solutions.
This leadership role is reflected in coordinated efforts to push for structural reforms, expand the participation of the most affected groups, and to denounce corporate influence in the negotiations. COP30, which will take place in Belém, will be a crucial opportunity for Brazil to demonstrate its commitment to a just and inclusive climate agenda – by listening and prioritizing those on the frontlines of the crisis.
