7 The Political Ecology of Climate Injustice in Bangkok

Abstract

This chapter addresses a gap in the literature on climate justice by examining inequity at the urban scale. Such a perspective builds on the concept of a climate-just city, which prioritizes the needs of those most vulnerable to climate change. This study focuses on Bangkok, a city not only highly vulnerable to climate change, but a city with one of the highest carbon emissions per capita. The chapter highlights instances of urban climate injustice by presenting three case studies: Bangkok’s public transportation sector, the state’s response to the 2011 floods, and coastal erosion in southern Bangkok. The cases show that the city’s governance of climate change has unjustly benefited the upper echelon of society, while low-income communities have been adversely affected.