Climate Justice in the Postcolony

Keywords: climate justice, environmental justice, global South
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Monday
Session Start / End Time: 2/28/2022 09:40 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/28/2022 11:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 36

Abstract

How do we think about the concept of climate justice in the postcolony? Disparities in wealth and power have conditioned attitudes to environmental concerns across various scales at the level of nation states and individuals. In the 20th century numerous newly independent countries in the global South viewed with suspicion environmental overtures by countries in the global North. The suspicion was that environmentalism might be the new reason why Europe and North America would object to the economic growth of the global South (the old reasons being colonialism and imperialism). In the 21st century, our growing collective understanding of the gravity of climate change has once again brought our differences to forefront while needing to act in concert in the face of a global crisis. We are yet to fully navigate the politics of transnational ally-ship amidst historic and contemporary difference. How do we build solidarity across difference for a more climate just world? What does a climate just world look like? How do we account for historic differences in green house gas emissions and political power? In this paper, I argue that we need to retool our scholarly and activist orientations to addressing environmental inequalities to grapple with transnational inequalities and historic differences. By analyzing two case studies: air pollution and population growth, I argue that by expanding the temporal and spatial boundaries of environmental justice scholarship and activism, we can begin to approach climate justice in the postcolony.