Lessons from climate justice programs

🆕 New report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development Surya Deva for the UN General Assembly on Climate Justice & Loss and Damage 🌎 The report develops a Climate Justice framework with 4 interrelated pillars: 🔸 Mitigation 🔸 Adaptation 🔸 Remediation 🔸 Transformation & highlights 12 human rights principles that should guide action across all pillars: Multi-species justice; Intergenerational equity; Non-discrimination; Participation; Intersectionality; Prevention; Precaution; Polluter pays; CBDR; Just transitions; Transparency; and International cooperation & solidarity. ⚖ By using a remediation lens, the UNSR rightly points to legal obligations of States & corporations with a high responsibility for causing the climate crisis to ensure access to effective remedies for those facing harm, including full climate reparations. In this context, the report stresses that the UNFCCC Loss & Damage debate is not rooted in remediation & accountability and that ⚠ States should "Accept their obligations under international human rights law to contribute to the [L&D] Fund in proportion to their contribution to GHG emissions over the years". ⚠ The report also turns the principles into recommendations for the Loss and Damage Fund, including: 🔹 Adequacy of funding 🔹 Human rights-based social & environmental safeguards 🔹 Active, free and meaningful participation 🔹 Ensuring a gender-transformative approach & non-discrimination 🔹 Simplified direct access for affected communities 🔹 Grants-based finance 🔹 An independent grievance redress mechanism There's much more to the report including references to fossil fuel phase-out, universal social protection, reform of the international financial architecture, ecocide, and debt relief. Highly recommended reading! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e3hXkYw6

A milestone for climate justice: today the Inter‑American Court of Human Rights delivered its long‑awaited advisory opinion on climate change and human rights, requested by Chile and Colombia in 2023. The Court unanimously confirms that a safe, stable climate is part of the right to a healthy environment protected by the American Convention and that States must take affirmative measures—through laws, policies and ecosystem restoration—to prevent, mitigate and remedy climate harm, both within their borders and extraterritorially. The opinion goes further than any previous regional or international climate ruling in articulating climate obligations of States under human rights law. It stresses common but differentiated responsibilities, highlights States' obligations to regulate major emitters and combat disinformation campaigns, and singles out the heightened vulnerability—and corresponding rights—of Indigenous peoples, children and future generations. Moreover, the Court establishes that the obligation not to cause irreversible damage to climate and environment has the character of a peremptory norm of international law. For courts, legislators and negotiators, this is a transformative interpretive benchmark. It will inform domestic and regional climate litigation, reshape environmental governance across Latin America and the Caribbean, and lend authoritative weight to parallel processes such as the pending International Court of Justice advisory opinion on climate change and the push for greater mitigation ambition and finance at COP 30 in Belém. As counsel for Vanuatu in these proceedings, I am heartened by the Court’s clarity: human rights law demands decisive climate action, and reparation is due where neglecting this duty has already caused harm. The task for all of us—lawyers, policymakers, scholars and advocates—is to translate today’s jurisprudence into concrete, rights‑based measures that protect people and planet alike.

🌍 CLIMATE JUSTICE JUST GOT ITS PLAYBOOK ⚖️ The world’s highest court has just handed us a legal weapon—and we need to use it. On July 23, 2025, the International Court of Justice declared something historic: 📢 States have binding legal obligations to protect the climate—and can be held accountable when they fail. This is more than a statement. It’s a blueprint for legal action—against countries, counties, cities, and even private actors they fail to regulate. Here’s the 5-step playbook for how you can act: 🔍 1. Find the Failure Look for government inaction or action that causes climate harm: → Approving fossil fuel projects → Failing to meet 1.5°C-aligned climate targets → Ignoring harmful emissions from private companies → Not regulating polluting industries or granting them subsidies 🧯 The ICJ says omissions count too. If your government turns a blind eye to polluters, that’s a violation. 📚 2. Build the Case You don’t need to be a lawyer to begin. Collect: ✅ Evidence of harmful projects or policies ✅ Climate plans that fall short of science ✅ Proof of inaction on regulation ✅ Testimonies from affected communities Use the ICJ opinion to show the legal duty they are breaking: 🧾 “Duty of due diligence” 🧾 “Obligation to prevent significant harm” 🧾 “Obligation to protect human rights” 🤝 3. Choose the Legal Path 📍 File in national courts 📍 Use human rights law, climate law, environmental law 📍 Partner with legal NGOs like ClientEarth, GLAN, or your local climate justice org You don’t need to go to The Hague. This ruling applies everywhere. 🧑⚖️ 4. Target Not Just Polluters—but Enablers The ICJ was clear: “States can be held responsible for failing to regulate private actors under their jurisdiction.” That means governments can be sued for letting corporations pollute, granting fossil licenses, or failing to hold industry accountable. ✊ 5. Make It Public Legal action is powerful—but public pressure fuels it. 📣 Share your case. 🎥 Tell the story. 📝 Show people what’s possible. This is not just about lawsuits—it’s about changing the system. ⸻ 💥 This opinion is more than words. It’s legal ammunition. It gives us the mandate to say: No more delay. No more excuses. No more climate harm. If your government isn’t acting, you can.

How does climate justice impact #climateaction? Climate justice in Africa isn’t a plea for sympathy but a call for reimagining systems. It’s about ensuring all stakeholders share equal footing in a climate-safe future. The continent isn’t just a victim; it’s a protagonist shaping solutions that could redefine #sustainability globally. Africa’s climate story is one of paradoxes. Contributing less than 4% of global emissions, the continent faces disproportionate impacts: vanishing glaciers on Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Chad shrinking by 90% since the 1960s, and cyclones displacing millions in Mozambique. Still, #climatejustice here isn’t just about vulnerability. It’s about rewriting narratives of agency, equity, and intergenerational responsibility. Colonial-era resource extraction set the stage for ecological fragility, while post-independence development models prioritized growth over sustainability. Today, communities still grapple with the legacies of #landdegradation and #fossilfuel dependency. But Africa’s climate history is also rich with Indigenous stewardship with practices like #agroforestry and ancient #waterharvesting systems that offer blueprints for #resilience. Africa is a laboratory of contrasts. #Renewableenergy projects, like Kenya’s #geothermal dominance and Morocco's Noor Solar Plant, coexist with coal-dependent economies. Smallholder farmers, who feed 70% of the continent, face erratic rains yet receive just 1.7% of global #climatefinance. Youth-led movements and civil rights groups amplify demands for accountability while policymakers navigate competing priorities: #energyaccess vs. #decarbonization, industrialization vs. #conservation. The stakes are existential. By 2030, climate impacts could cost Africa $50 billion annually. But the continent’s potential is equally vast: 60% of the world’s solar resources, critical #minerals for green tech, and a youth population poised to lead innovation. Climate justice here hinges on three shifts: 〰️ Finance Flows: Redirecting billions pledged (but rarely delivered) toward #adaptation and grassroots-led solutions. 〰️ Policy Integration: Embedding #justice in frameworks like the African Union’s Agenda 2063 or national adaptation plans. 〰️ Global Solidarity: Holding high-emitters accountable while leveraging Africa’s voice in forums like COP. Obstacles in Africa’s climate justice persist: fragmented governance, #debtburdens, and 'green colonialism' risks in #carbonmarkets. Yet, some initiatives like the Great Green Wall and the Africa Climate Summit signal collaboration. Researchers are mapping localized #climaterisks, startups are scaling solar microgrids, and artists are reframing the discourse. Read more on climate and justice: https://lnkd.in/d47zF2ia

Equitable Climate Finance Must Be Country-Led – Lessons from the Frontlines As the global community builds out the operational architecture for the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), we must resist the temptation to replicate old models of climate finance that overburden frontline states with bureaucracy and underdeliver on justice. Having spent the last two decades working with civil society, governments, and multilateral partners across Africa and globally, I’ve seen firsthand what works: ✅ When national actors are engaged early — not as implementers, but as co-designers. ✅ When readiness support is tailored, long-term, and not treated as a checkbox. ✅ When governance frameworks value lived experience as much as technical reporting. We MUST prioritize bottom-up, country-owned pathways to climate and debt resilience. We are learning from countries innovating under constraint — and creating space for them to lead. As FRLD takes shape, we need a system that listens, flexes, and builds trust — especially for those who did the least to cause climate impacts but bear the most. 👉🏾 What principles should guide country engagement under FRLD or similar vertical climate funds? Let’s elevate this dialogue ahead of COP29. #LossAndDamage #ClimateFinance #EquitableDevelopment #ClimateJustice #CountryOwnership #WorldBank #UNFCCC #GCF #AdaptationFinance #GlobalSouthVoices

🌍 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵: 𝗨𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗲𝗼-𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺? Since 2020, carbon trading in developing economies has grown by 47% (Ecosystem Marketplace, 2023). But beyond the boom lies a deeper question: who truly benefits? 📊 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗽𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘁 The Global South holds 73% of high-integrity carbon sequestration potential (McKinsey, 2024): — Forest protection — Regenerative agriculture — Renewable energy If structured equitably, carbon finance could unlock $175–$320B by 2030 (Climate Policy Initiative, 2023). ⚖️ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗚𝗮𝗽 — Developed nations are responsible for 78% of historical emissions, yet suffer least from climate impacts (Carbon Brief, 2023) — Only 15–30% of carbon finance typically reaches local communities (RRI, 2024) — Many projects impose Global North standards over indigenous knowledge (Oxford Climate Policy Review, 2024) 🌱 𝗔 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗜𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 Community-led forest carbon programs in Kenya show: ✔️ 3–4x greater returns to communities (WRI, 2024) ✔️ Local governance, transparency & fair revenue sharing drive success 🧭 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 To ensure carbon markets advance climate justice, we must prioritize: — Indigenous and community ownership — Tech transfer & local capacity building — Safeguards against exploitation & land grabs The low-carbon transition is a massive opportunity — but only if it’s built on justice, not extraction. What do you think: Are carbon markets closing the equity gap, or widening it? #CarbonMarkets #ClimateJustice #GlobalSouth #JustTransition #ClimateFinance