Education for Climate Justice

Climate justice requires sharing the burdens and benefits of climate change and its resolution equitably and fairly. It brings together justice between generations and justice within generations. In particular it requires that attempts to address injustice between generations through curbing greenhouse gas emissions do not end up creating injustice in our time by hurting the presently poor and vulnerable. This essay considers the transformative power of education in its many dimensions as one entry point into expanding the scope of policy instruments for climate justice. First, education can change behavior, primarily in rich countries but also in poor countries, and thus help mitigate climate injustice between the generations. Second, resources targeted to the education of the poorest in poor countries can help their development but also help to counter some of the negative spillover effects of interventions to mitigate climate change. Hence the title of this essay — Education for Climate Justice.