What is “Climate Justice”? And why should we care? This book provides a clear answer.
In this short accessible book, Elizabeth Cripps makes the moral case for action on climate change. She begins with the assertion that climate justice boils down to one simple truth: each life has value. We owe it to our fellow humans—and non-human animals—to save them from the catastrophic harm that climate change will inflict.
Cripps begins with a definition of climate justice and then turns her attention to the irrefutable science. She unravels the legacy of colonialism, demonstrating the intersectional cost paid by women of color (particularly from the Global South) who stand to lose the most from climate change. Cripps then looks at animals and the case for preserving biodiversity and minimizing habitat loss.
Having outlined the problem and delivered the bad news, the second half of the book looks at the solutions: who should pay the bill to fix climate change? How can we hold multinational companies, organizations—even nations—accountable? Cripps dissects the Paris Agreement and looks at its limits and feasibility. The final chapter asks what it means to be an individual moral agent in a global crisis: whether making small changes matters (short answer, yes!), and how the actions of those like Greta Thunberg give us cause for hope. The book concludes with a series of short takeaways and a reading list.
Cripps demonstrates that climate justice goes beyond politics—climate change is a moral duty, not a political choice.