[ justice climatique | Klimagerechtigkeit | climate justice ]
The concept has been widely used to highlight the unequal historical responsibility that countries and communities bear for the climate crisis. It states that the countries, industries, corporations, and people who have become wealthy by emitting large amounts of greenhouse gases have a responsibility to support those affected by climate change, especially the most vulnerable countries and communities who have often contributed the least to the crisis.
Even within a country, the impacts of climate change may be unevenly distributed due to structural inequalities based on race, ethnicity, gender and socio-economic status. Today’s children and youth have not contributed significantly to the climate crisis, but will feel the full impact of climate change later in life.1The climate justice perspective shows that the climate crisis is inextricably linked to political, social and economic inequality worldwide.
[ racisme environnemental | Umweltrassismus | environmental racism ]
Environmental racism describes the above-average impact of environmental pollution on BIPoC communities (black people, indigenous people and people of color).
The term environmental racism was coined in the 1980s by black environmental activists in the United States. The starting point of the environmental justice movement was the construction of a toxic waste dump in a small town in the state of North Carolina. After white communities opposed the construction, the toxic waste dump was built in a predominantly black neighborhood, despite several years of protests. Environmental racism was understood early on as a global phenomenon, which is also expressed in the export of toxic waste and risky technologies to countries in the global South.
The consequences of climate change are exacerbating the existing effects of environmental racism in both the global South and the global North. Take heat waves, for example: in major cities like New York and Chicago, black people die at twice the rate of whites during heat waves. Initial studies for Germany also show that people with a so-called migrant background are disproportionately exposed to heat waves.2
[ Sud global | Globaler Süden | global South ]
A concept traditionally used within government and development organizations that refers to economically disadvantaged nations such as former colonized nations of Latin America and Africa, but also the Middle East, Brazil, parts of Asia and India.
In the Brennpunkt, we refer to the geographically fluid definition used by academics and activists. The global South refers to peoples and spaces around the world that are negatively affected by globalized (neo) colonial capitalism. This includes the creation of the global South (people) in the geographical global North, and the development of the global North (people) in the geographical global South. This notion captures a “deterritorialized geography of capitalism’s externalities and the means of accounting for subjugated peoples within the borders of wealthier countries”. It is important to note that despite the notion of geographic fluidity, the global Souths (peoples) are largely concentrated in the global South (geography).
As the global Souths recognize each other and consider their shared conditions, the global South acquires a third meaning, that of a global political community.3
[ Nord global | Globaler Norden | global North ]
Traditionally, this refers to wealthy and powerful nations in Western Europe, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, but it also includes Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. For the purposes of the Brennpunkt, we refer to a more geographically fluid notion: the people (behind nations, corporations and institutions) who own and control resources, wealth, funding, networks and/or decision-making.
It is important to acknowledge that the global North (people) are concentrated in the global North (geography).
Fausses solutions / Falsche Lösungen / False solutions
[ technosolutionnisme | Technologiegläubigkeit | solutionism ]
The term “solutionism” refers to the assumption that the climate crisis can only be solved through technological solutions. This optimism is at odds with the reality of huge increases in global greenhouse gas emissions. The energy savings made possible by technology have so far been “eaten up” by the much larger overall increase in energy demand. While technology has an important role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, technological solutions alone will not be sufficient to meet the Paris climate goals. Solutionism also ignores the invisible costs of technological solutions to the environment and to people, especially in countries of the global South.
Moreover, some technologies are far from being ready for deployment, such as geoengineering technologies that use technical means to intervene in the climate system. Their feasibility and effectiveness, as well as their social, economic and environmental risks, are still unclear. Confidence that future technologies will solve the climate problem is currently delaying urgently needed climate policy measures.
[ effet de rebond | Rebound-Effekt | rebound Effect ]
The rebound effect refers to the phenomenon that while energy is saved in one place through more sustainable practices or more energy-efficient technology, more energy is consumed elsewhere due to increased consumption or behavioral changes.
For example, if someone buys a more energy-efficient car and now drives it much more often than before because it uses less fuel than before. Or the saved energy costs are used to finance additional energy consumption: for example, if someone saves on fuel after buying a more efficient car and then uses the saved money for air travel. Rebound effects arise from financial savings or moral justification.
[ « croissance verte » | „Grünes Wachstum“ | “green Growth“ ]
The concept is based on the idea that economic growth can occur without consuming resources or damaging the environment. Unlimited growth is therefore possible. The narrative of “green growth” thus suggests that the current energy-intensive lifestyle in Luxembourg and Europe can continue and is even compatible with climate protection goals.
“Green growth” is a highly misleading goal. There is no empirical evidence that such a complete decoupling of economic growth from environmental impacts can be achieved on a global scale. Scientific studies also show that even if such a “decoupling” were possible, it could not be achieved quickly enough to prevent global warming of more than 1.5°C or 2°C.4 In climate policy, the term can be part of a delaying discourse and be used for greenwashing. The promise of “green growth” distracts from the fact that the climate crisis urgently requires systemic changes across the economy.
[ « compensation carbone » | „Klimakompensation” | “carbon offsetting” ]
Carbon offsetting is the idea that companies, countries and individuals can offset the emissions they cause. This is done through projects that save or remove emissions from the atmosphere, such as forest protection or reforestation projects. In reality, however, the majority of carbon offset projects are ineffective; they save little CO2 and therefore do not contribute to climate protection.5
On the contrary, carbon offsets relieve companies and countries in the global North of their climate responsibility and allow them to continue emitting enormous amounts of emissions instead of actually implementing effective climate protection through direct greenhouse gas savings. Nevertheless, carbon offset projects continue to be touted as a source of funding for the global South.
[ colonialisme carbone | Kohlenstoffkolonialismus | carbon colonialism ]
A term sometimes used when rich countries “outsource” their responsibility to reduce emissions to developing countries.6
[ « neutre en carbone » | „Klimaneutral“ | “carbon neutral“ ]
“Climate neutral flying”, “CO2 neutral coffee” and “climate-positive baby food” – such a label does not mean that no emissions were released during the production of the product. It simply means that the company is advertising that it is offsetting the emissions through compensation projects.
Environmental and consumer protection groups criticize “climate seals” as deceiving consumers and as a means of greenwashing, since most carbon offset projects are ineffective (see “Carbon offset projects” in the Glossary).
Footnotes:
1 United Nations Development Programme (2023), Climate change is a matter of justice – here’s why, 30 June 2023, https://climatepromise.undp.org/news-and-stories/climate-change-matter-justice-heres-why (viewed 8 December 2023).
2 Ituen, I., Tatu Hey, L. (2021), ‘Der Elefant im Raum, Umweltrassismus in Deutschland. Studien, Leerstellen und ihre Relevanz für Umwelt- und Klimagerechtigkeit‘, Heinrich Böll-Stiftung, November 2021.
3 Mahler, A. G. (2017), ‘Global South. ‘, Oxford Bibliographies in Literary and Critical Theory, ed. by O’Brien, E., Oxford University Press, New York.
4 Hickel, J., Kallis, G. (2019), ‘Is Green Growth Possible? ‘, New Political Economy, vol. 25, no. 4, 17 April 2019, pp. 469-486, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13563467.2019.1598964 (viewed 15 November 2023) and Parrique, T., Barth, J., Briens, F., Kerschner, C., Kraus-Polk, A., Kuokkanen, A., & Spangenberg, J. H. (2019), ‘Decoupling Debunked: Evidence and arguments against green growth as a sole strategy for sustainability‘, European Environmental Bureau, 8 July 2019, https://eeb.org/library/decoupling-debunked/ (viewed 15 November 2023).
5 For more details on this topic, see:
Lakhani, N. (2023), ‘Revealed: top carbon offset projects may not cut planet-heating emissions’, The Guardian, 19 September 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/19/do-carbon-credit-reduce-emissions-greenhouse-gases (viewed 15 November 2023).
Greenfield, P. (2023), ‘Revealed: More than 90% of rainforest carbon offsets by biggest certifier are worthless, analysis shows‘, The Guardian, 18 January 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/18/revealed-forest-carbon-offsets-biggest-provider-worthless-verra-aoe (viewed 15 November 2023).
6 Dunne, D., Gabbatiss, J. (2023), ‘Glossary: Carbon Brief’s guide to the terminology of carbon offsets‘, Carbon Brief, 25 September 2023, https://interactive.carbonbrief.org/carbon-offsets-2023/glossary.html (viewed 15 November 2023).
