Climate Change, Social Justice

Abstract

Climate change is a physical process but also a profoundly social and political challenge with many social justice issues. People who have contributed the least to climate change already suffer the worst consequences. This chapter makes a case for grounding climate change questions and solutions in community inclusion—in engagement of and partnership with people whose lives are directly affected—based on the principles of social justice. It then describes five intersecting dimensions of “climate reductionism” that must be addressed to articulate why climate change must be contextualized and understood through the lens of local social, economic, and political contexts. The chapter highlights the guiding questions and organization of the book’s chapters, and it concludes with a call to address the “wicked problem” of climate change in partnership with communities and in ways that value local expertise in policy pursuits.