Climate justice means placing equality and human rights at the center of decision-making and actions regarding climate change.
One aspect of climate justice relates to the unequal historical burden that countries bear regarding the climate crisis. The concept suggests that countries, industries, and business sectors that have amassed wealth from activities with the highest greenhouse gas emissions have a responsibility to assist in mitigating the impacts of climate change on those most affected, especially the most vulnerable countries and communities that often contribute the least to the crisis.
Even within the same country, due to structural inequalities based on race, ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic status, responsibilities for addressing climate change must be fairly distributed, with the greatest accountability on those who have contributed the most and benefited the most from the causes of the crisis.
Another aspect of climate justice is intergenerational. Children and young people today have not significantly contributed to the climate crisis, but they will bear the full force of the impacts of climate change as they grow up. Since their human rights are jeopardized by the decisions of previous generations, they must have a central role in all decisions and actions related to climate change.