RCJGC Panel 2
Radical Climate Justice
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Click on the presentation name to link to abstract and presenter bio.
“Feminist Climate Justice in a World of Crises”
Farhana Sultana, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
“Climate Finance & Capitalist Crisis: Time to Renew Demand for Carbon Debt and Reparations?”
Patrick Bond, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
“From Decarbonization to Energy Commons?”
James Goodman, University of Technology Sydney
“Intergenerational Equity Must Be Foundational or Civilization Will Collapse”
Rahul Basu, Goa Foundation
I attended panel 2, which included speakers Farhana Sultana, Patrick Bond, James Goodman, and Rahul Basu. Professor Sultana focused on the intersectionality of environmental justice issues while questioning systems of power within a nation-state. She introduced the idea of feminism positively impacting the environment and that we as people may need to unlearn and relearn our ideas about climate justice and climate change. Something that I thought was really interesting from her presentation was the idea of COVID compounding with climate change to exacerbate suffering within poor or minority communities.
Professor Bond and Goodman concentrated more on the economy and economic impact of climate change. Professor Goodman discussed the importance of putting a price on stopping climate change so that private investors would make a profit through renewable energy. Professor Bond proposed a ‘climate debt” which stated that some communities have borne the brunt of climate change more seriously, and that these communities contribute least to the problem and should be compensated for such. Upon reflecting, a problem with putting a price on energy and climate change is that it discounts the importance of the environment and some things are priceless; financial gain to these communities is not enough for lost loved ones. Private investors and big corporations should also not be in charge of saving the environment, as they are the ones who are destroying it. Lastly, Rahul Bahu, from the GOA Foundation, discussed the importance of preserving the environment for future generations. We need to stop climate change in order for future generations to survive and succeed!
I attended panel two that talked about radical climate change and feminist climate injustice. I find both of these topics interesting. Farhana Sultana, who talks about feminist climate injustice, which specifies on exposing the root causes of climate change, had an exciting point by incorporating feminist insights into the climate crisis to foster better planning and elevate awareness in minorities with no voice.
Patrick Bondi, part of the sociology department at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, brought up the idea of rich countries paying for the damage they have created in developing countries such as Peru, Mozambique, and other countries. I also agree with Bondi that rich countries should not have the luxury to step out of world climate agreements. It is essential to recognize the importance of human rights and how unconscious decisions have terrible outcomes. We have let down those who we needed to help the most. We have taken advantage of the resources in their land, and we never bother to check on these people. It is time to leave the oil in the soil and start looking for renewable sources.