The Social Injustice of Climate Change
We are not all in the same boat.
We are all in the same storm.
Some people are in boats... but some are swimming.
And they will drown if we don't do something.
We are all in the same storm.
Some people are in boats... but some are swimming.
And they will drown if we don't do something.

Human-generated climate change is a serious issue, with some people saying that it is the biggest social injustice of our generation.
Social injustice is the opposite of social Justice.
When there is social justice, we uphold people's basic rights, providing all equally with the ability to thrive.
When we practice social justice, our actions impact others in a positive way, and everyone around has access to the same level of health and opportunities.
When the well-being of some people in our society and in our world is ignored (usually people who live in more remote areas or in countries who are less developed), we call this social injustice.
It is sad that for humans, it's "out of sight out of mind". If we don't see people upclose, we usually don't care about them!
But here is the worst thing: the countries and people who damage the environment the least are the ones who most suffer from climate change. Climate change has been largely created by the burning of fossil fuels by industrialized nations, with the richest being the most culpable planet-cookers.
Often, people with no electricity, living from the land and from the sea, also have no recourse to escape the extreme weather that is brought by this change.
In Canada, this includes the first peoples, who are most affected by climate change. Along coastal British Columbia, First Nations' fisheries will likely see their catch numbers cut by half by the year 2050. This will be horrible for the first peoples!
Social injustice is the opposite of social Justice.
When there is social justice, we uphold people's basic rights, providing all equally with the ability to thrive.
When we practice social justice, our actions impact others in a positive way, and everyone around has access to the same level of health and opportunities.
When the well-being of some people in our society and in our world is ignored (usually people who live in more remote areas or in countries who are less developed), we call this social injustice.
It is sad that for humans, it's "out of sight out of mind". If we don't see people upclose, we usually don't care about them!
But here is the worst thing: the countries and people who damage the environment the least are the ones who most suffer from climate change. Climate change has been largely created by the burning of fossil fuels by industrialized nations, with the richest being the most culpable planet-cookers.
Often, people with no electricity, living from the land and from the sea, also have no recourse to escape the extreme weather that is brought by this change.
In Canada, this includes the first peoples, who are most affected by climate change. Along coastal British Columbia, First Nations' fisheries will likely see their catch numbers cut by half by the year 2050. This will be horrible for the first peoples!
Maybe the worst thing about this crisis is that the people responsible for it -- industrialized countries and the big industries in the world -- are not paying retribution for causing all this damage, or even trying to fix it.
Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise in developed countries, despite their signing the Kyoto Protocol which was supposed to reduce them.
Kyoto was also supposed to lead to financial support for poor countries struggling at the sharp end of the climate crisis, but the international community has not done that much to help the poorest nations.
It seems like unless these nations have oil or other resources that can be explored, no help or assistance comes their way.
This side of climate change is hard for us to fix by ourselves; we need to petition our governments to do something. You can find some sample letters in our resource page.
Click on the button below to return to the main page.
Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise in developed countries, despite their signing the Kyoto Protocol which was supposed to reduce them.
Kyoto was also supposed to lead to financial support for poor countries struggling at the sharp end of the climate crisis, but the international community has not done that much to help the poorest nations.
It seems like unless these nations have oil or other resources that can be explored, no help or assistance comes their way.
This side of climate change is hard for us to fix by ourselves; we need to petition our governments to do something. You can find some sample letters in our resource page.
Click on the button below to return to the main page.