Climate justice

We support the development of inclusive climate policies, conduct scientific research on equitable and fair climate action, support for just transition and provide thought leadership on climate justice.

We also conduct independent assessments on climate impacts related to policy inaction to support climate litigation cases.

Our experts

Rueanna Haynes

Head of Diplomacy and Director of Climate Analytics Caribbean

Carlon Mendoza

Climate Policy Advisor - Climate Justice

Kristin Qui

Climate Diplomacy Advisor - SIDS Support

Sasha Jattansingh

Senior Adaptation and Loss and Damage Expert and Deputy Director of Climate Analytics Caribbean

Marli Klass

Research Assistant

Publications

Fair carbon removal obligations under climate response uncertainty

Article 6.4 progress update: work of the Supervisory Body on the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism

What does a just transition look like for Caribbean Small Island Developing States?

Climate justice: loss and damage and the right to development

Climate justice and loss and damage: perspectives from the global south

Advisory opinion on "Climate emergency and human rights"

Uncompensated claims to fair emission space risk putting Paris Agreement goals out of reach

Houses built on the mountains just outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Climate justice and loss and damage: Hurricane Dorian, Haitians and human rights

Long term strategies: low carbon growth, resilience and prosperity for Least Developed Countries

Accounting for socioeconomic constraints in sustainable irrigation expansion assessments

An assessment of the adequacy of the mitigation measures and targets of the respondent states in Duarte Agostinho v Portugal and 32 other states

Debt-for-climate swaps for small islands

Intergenerational inequities in exposure to climate extremes

Fair distributions of carbon dioxide removal obligations and implications for effective national net-zero targets

National ‘fair shares’ in reducing greenhouse gas emissions within the principled framework of international environmental law

Towards a just transition of the workplace: Baseline Analysis for the Electricity and Road Transport Sectors in Antigua and Barbuda

Projects

Implementing the Paris Agreement in the Caribbean

The Climate Governance Initiative for the Caribbean (CGIC) aims to support the development of governance structures to allow equitable and just national climate action to implement the Paris Agreement in Caribbean countries.

What happens when you don’t, or can’t, migrate?

When climate impacts hit, there are those who don’t, or can’t, leave. The Immobility in a changing climate (ITHACA) project looks at the choices and constraints that lead to people’s immobility in the face of climate change, and what ramifications that has for their lives.

How do socioeconomic barriers inform limits to adaptation?

The EmBARK project investigates possible trajectories of socio-economic transformation processes and analyse their relevance as potential barriers to adaptation to climate change.

Climate risk, adaptation and insurance in the Caribbean

The Climate Risk Adaptation and Insurance in the Caribbean (CRAIC) project, led by Munich Climate Insurance Initiative, assists Caribbean countries in their efforts to increase social resilience and adapt to climate change by incorporating climate risk insurance within a broader framework of disaster risk reduction strategies.

Analysing issues of fairness for carbon dioxide removal

The Carbon Dioxide Removal Options: Policies and Ethics (CDR-PoEt) project examines policy instruments and pathways towards fair deployment of carbon dioxide removal to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

Regional climate champions in the Caribbean

The Regional Climate Champion Project aims to build a regional coalition for ambitious implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Battle lines drawn at IPCC plenary as timeline decision successfully delayed for the third time

The role of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in providing science input into the Paris Agreement and its critical five yearly Global Stocktake is under challenge.

How the new NDCs can mainstream gender to accelerate climate action

Mainstreaming gender in the new NDCs can help unlock the full potential of women and girls as powerful agents of change in the climate fight - here's how.

Just transition discussions at the climate negotiations are in limbo

COP29 concluded with more than a few agenda items left unresolved. One was the 'just transition work programme'. What happened during these negotiations? And how can we ensure a better outcome at COP30?

Why the Caribbean is bracing for what could be the worst hurricane season on record

Unprecedented sea surface temperatures in June have already fuelled a hurricane that has flattened communities in the Caribbean - the earliest of its kind. With forecasts warning of more to come, our experts get into the numbers of why this years' season could be the worst on record.

The just transition looks different for small islands – their voices must be heard

The concept of a just transition is gaining momentum, yet it’s too often viewed through a developed country lens in international climate talks and discussions often ignore the links to climate justice. The unique concerns of small islands must be heard to ensure the just transition works for all.

Can higher ambition in developed countries create ‘carbon space’ for others?

What does a 'fair share' of global emissions look like for Africa and South Asia? Both regions have low historical emissions and a strong claim to the remaining carbon space.

Caribbean, Image by Lisa Larsen from Pixabay

The IPCC has highlighted the Caribbean’s vulnerability to climate change: what does this mean for climate justice?

Climate change is an inherently unjust phenomenon. Its impacts often disproportionately affect the most socioeconomically vulnerable parts of the world, even though these regions contribute the least to global emissions. The Caribbean, my home, is one of them.

Planting mangroves helps to protect coastlines. Image by kmarius from Pixabay

Climate change and small islands: more scientific evidence of high risks

Small island developing states (SIDS) have long been recognised as being particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. In a recently published article our researchers added further scientific evidence that island states are particularly at risk, and face unique challenges in addressing impacts.

Black Lives Matter protest ©Geoff Livingston, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Black Lives Matter: the link between climate change and racial justice

In any crisis it is the poorest and most vulnerable that suffer the greatest impacts. What does Black Lives Matter have to do with climate change? Everything – Adelle Thomas and Rueanna Haynes outline the linkages between environmental justice and racial justice.

Hurricane Dorian damage in the Bahamas ©Coast Guard News

Coronavirus underscores small islands' climate vulnerability

The coronavirus pandemic is a new setback for island states already suffering from climate change and storms such as Cyclone Harold and Hurricane Dorian. They are also preparing for the next season… What are the implications for the efficacy of coronavirus measures as well as for the economic resources available to respond to the pandemic?

Klima Streik Fridays For Future Demonstration 25 01 2019 Berlin

Livin' in the future - delaying climate action and intergenerational justice

School kids around the world are taking to the streets demanding that the older generation step up efforts to tackle climate change, which they see as a major threat to their future. The teenagers of today will still be alive to bear the climate impacts of tomorrow - like sinking coastlines and cities, droughts, floods, crop failures - and will have an ever shrinking range of options to deal with the legacy of inaction on cutting carbon emissions.
(Also available in German)