So, uh, is it too late to ask what intersectionality means?

The Green Fix on why racial justice is key to climate action, and other questions you're scared to ask.

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Sep 01, 2021

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So I’ve got some sleep since my last edition. Woke up well-rested, birds singing, sun shining and I thought:

What a nice day to still be in a fucking crisis.

I know that’s not reassuring. I don’t care. We can have good days in an ongoing crisis. We can be mindful and grateful and what have you, and still be in a crisis.

It’s not a choice between denial and panic. It’s about making space to be scared - and keep going anyway.

I’m worried about the climate. I’m also worried about whether the barista is judging me for how long I’ve sat here without buying a second coffee. Thinking about 2030 makes me nervous. So do the relentless emails by the Student Loans Company. Sometimes I want to take to the streets with a megaphone and sometimes I want to delete my entire email account.

Make the space to feel All The Things. Be scared by the news and choose to learn anyway. Be eco-anxious while you go on that night out.

Anything other than denial. Denial is the bastion of the privileged, the quickly-shrinking bubble of people who are least affected by social and environmental injustice.

It is an illusion of safety. Educate yourself on the crises and own the changes we have to make for a sustainable society now, before shifting politics and global heating force us to change later.

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What’s Going On?

Still the most major headline: IPCC report says it’s now-or-never to avert worst possible climate disasters.
Useful: Here’s the actual report summary.
One billion children are at extreme risk from the climate crisis, says new UNICEF report.
Relevant: Join the global climate strike on 24 September to demand political action.
Extinction Rebellion UK run 2-week ‘Impossible Rebellion’ through the streets of London.
Useful: Literally every question you might want to ask Extinction Rebellion here.
It rained at the summit of Greenland’s ice sheet for the first time in recorded history.
Useful: Why is rain in Greenland headline news?
Madagascar is on the brink of climate-induced famine.
Useful: World Food Programme’s donation appeal.
Indigenous people are finally getting a say in global conservation policy.
Useful: Tune into the World Conservation Congress for free 3-11 September.
The UN declares the end of leaded petrol, preventing millions of deaths.
Useful: Why exactly is leaded fuel so bad?

Focus On… Racial Justice

Myriam Douo, member of Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice, on why the climate crisis is a racial issue too.

'The system we currently live in benefits billionaires and big corporations. The colonial capitalist patriarchy is the root cause of this system and we need to dismantle it to create a system that works for us all.' Myriam Duo, Belgium. — Source: @equinoxrji

My name is Myriam Douo, I am a Steering Group member of Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice and a campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe on corporate capture and corporate lobbying hindering climate justice efforts.

Useful: What is corporate capture?

The Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice is a people of colour-led initiative that works to advance the rights and justice for all people in Europe. The initiative was founded by Sarah Chander, Claire Gilder and Alfiaz Vaiya in 2020.

We work in partnership with other racial justice organisations such as the European Network Against Racism. The Steering Group is composed of people from all over Europe, many of whom are local community organisers.

Our goal is to ensure that racial justice is at the forefront of EU policy. We work on the lack of inclusion of racialised communities in EU decision-making, climate justice, gender justice, migration and law enforcement.

Why is climate change a racial justice issue?

There are different aspects to this connection.

The first one is historical. When we talk about climate change, we need to acknowledge historical responsibility, which means that some countries are more responsible for climate change than others.

Colonialism was an extractive effort of human resources but also of mineral and natural resources. We need to talk about reparations, how countries who created climate change are going to support the states who are the ones suffering from climate change the most.

The second way racial justice and climate justice are related is the solution, which, to me, is dismantling capitalism. Capitalism is linked to colonialism, racism, sexism and exploitation.

The only way we will reverse climate change and racial injustice is by dismantling capitalism to create a society where we are free from systems of oppression, otherwise we will end up with a green capitalist society with neo-colonial patterns.

A concrete example is the push for the switch to electric cars, which need batteries made of more rare metals than classic cars, requiring massive extraction in the Global South.

Useful: What does capitalism have to do with climate justice?

What is intersectionality?

Intersectionality is a concept coined by Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw. Every human being is born into a complex web of privilege and systems of oppression which co-exist and interact with each other. Some people don’t just fit into one box, be it the ‘people of colour box’ or ‘women box’, they fit into both.

Intersectionality has allowed a lot of people to understand and explain their life experience. Without understanding your systems of oppression, you can’t combat them.

How can green policies be more inclusive of the communities most impacted by climate change?

In our report on institutional change in the EU, we made recommendations to the EU institutions on how to create lasting change for racialised people.

The EU institutions tend to work on policy in silos without recognising the interlinkages between different policies. The failure to mainstream racial equality in all areas of EU policy has created contradictions and gaps in equality and fundamental rights protection for racialised communities.

Graphic that says 'Racial justice must be part of all EU policy' — Source: @equinoxrji

We want climate policies to have racial justice at the centre and at the forefront.

When working on initiatives on climate, we want the government to stop listening to polluting industries and make room for people’s input, by proactively reaching out to racialised communities and grassroots movements around Europe.

Civil society also needs to play its part. We call on climate justice groups to advocate for policies that integrate racial justice at the core.

What concrete steps can green movements take to become intersectional?

If your goal is to improve life conditions for the most marginalised people, it will benefit everyone down the line. If the less privileged people are protected, then everyone else is protected too.

In the climate movement, often white and male are the default, especially in positions of power. Who is in the room and who is not is an important consideration to make.

It’s not just about race, it’s about ability, age, sexual orientation, all of those different systems of oppressions. It’s enriching to have different perspectives and opinions to avoid blank spots. Climate organisations hold a lot of power in the policy field, in terms of access to decision-making, so they need to encompass diverse voices in their advocacy.

A painted wall that says 'the future of environmentalism is intersectional' — Source: @graphicsandgrain / @intersectionalenvironmentalist

What can anyone do to bring needed attention to these issues and spur positive change?

Education is a great place to start. Our report on climate justice has valuable resources. Union of Justice has lots of free access content on climate justice and racial justice.

If you are already part of a climate group, look at your group and look at who is in the room and who is not. If you’re one of the marginalised people there, try and find other marginalised people in your group. Creating a safe space to talk about how it feels to be a marginalised person or if there is anything you would like to change is useful.

If you’re a person from a dominant group, look around in your local group and speak up if you think there are some things you should do better. Read resources to organise more inclusive events, in terms of accessibility and diversity of panels.

We sit at the feet of many human rights and environmental rights activists from the Global South and Indigenous communities, who have been doing this work - and sometimes died for it - for decades. We should build upon their work and recognise and give them credit for it.

You don’t need to be chaining yourself to a tree or building barricades to be an activist. Anything that you do is useful to the movement. Find the things that you are good at and that you like to do and use them.

We need people who can make videos, infographics, show people that you can make great food without eating meat, or write essays and poems about how terrible the fossil fuel industry is. All this is needed for the movement and if we include people who have been excluded so far, we’ll be richer for it.

You can learn more about Equinox on their website, and follow them on Instagram @equinoxrji and Twitter @Equinoxrji. You can follow Myriam on Twitter @MyriamDouo

So Now What Do I Do?

LEARN MORE

Listen to the TED talk by Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw on why intersectionality is such an important and urgent concept.
Read: How do I make my environmentalism more inclusive?
Enrol in this nearly-free (£10) online course on the Colonial History of Climate by Climate in Colour.

TRY SOMETHING NEW

Join Escape the City’s free webinar for anyone who is thinking about pursuing a career that has a positive impact. 14th September @ 7pm CEST.
Join the UN’s social media campaign to for the Global Week to #Act4SDGs from 17th - 28th September.
Under 30 and got a project for youth engagement on the climate? Join the Youth Climate Pact Challenge by the EU before the 20th September.

CHANGE THE SYSTEM

Sign the petition to get the EU to give climate refugees legal protection.
Sign the Global Witness petition to get fossil fuels out of politics.
Sign the Friends of the Earth petition to demand wealthy nations take real climate action.

By the way…

If you have a topic you want the Green Fix to cover, fill out this feedback form & tell us your idea!
The In-Between Newsletter breaks down topics in careers, life and finance that we are often not taught well or at all. Check it out here.

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