COP 30 in Brazil: An Opportunity to Push the Climate Justice Agenda Further Along
Michelle Hallack has more than 15 years of experience in the energy sector, working to bridge the gap between state-of-the-art knowledge and policy-oriented decision-makers. She was a professor of Economics at Federal Fluminense University and an advisor at the Florence School of Regulation (EUI). Recently, she has coordinated knowledge teams and products for multilateral institutions. As a consequence of academic and policy-oriented research, in the last 10 years, Michelle co-authored 29 articles in peer-reviewed journals. She also participated in 8 book chapters, over 40 MDBs reports, and 30 working papers. Her research interests are just energy transition, climate finance, and climate justice. This text was originally written for issue 69 of the WBO Newsletter, published on June2, 2023. Fill in the form at the bottom of the text to access and subscribe to the WBO weekly newsletter in English.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s announced that the United Nations had chosen Brazil to host the 2025 U.N. Climate Change Conference. COP 30 is expected to be held in the city of Belem, state of Pará, in the heart of the Brazilian rainforest, bringing the focus to the Amazon region. Belem is also a metropolitan region with the highest proportion of households in slum areas. It is estimated that more than 50 percent of the households are in areas with low or no basic infrastructure (according to Wellness Urban Index, IBEU). The lack of minimum household infrastructure is associated with urban poverty, insecurity, irregular occupation of urban land, and a lack of sanitary infrastructure. Therefore, according to IBEU, the possibility of flooding is the most significant urban environment risk factor in this region.
COP 30 in Belem can be seen as symbolic of the climate justice agenda, as it is a city in the heart of Amazonia, one of the essential regions to achieve our climate goals. Belem is also where most of the population lives in vulnerable conditions, which could be considered among those who have least benefited from industries and technologies causing climate change and those more likely to suffer first and the worst because of climate change. Besides that, it is also a population that may suffer from climate change policy restrictions if climate justice is not considered.
COP 30 is a remarkable opportunity for Brazil to lead developing countries' environmental diplomacy and civil society organizations to strengthen the climate justice agenda. COP30 is an opportunity to underline the need for climate justice through democratic transformation and to bring about concrete results for the Amazonian region and all vulnerable front-line communities impacted by climate change and by climate change policy constraints in the region. Moreover, COP30 is an opportunity to set an example and move the needle in a region that requires urgent transformation.
“Climate justice is a broad concept that emphasizes the need for fairness and equity in addressing the impacts of climate change”
Climate justice is not a new agenda; during COP 27 in Egypt, an agreement was reached to establish a funding mechanism to compensate vulnerable nations for ‘loss and damage’ from climate-induced disasters. This is a step toward the climate justice agenda. However, there is still a long way to go. The resources flowing from developed to developing countries are below the target mark and far below the need for transformation (UN 2022). Moreover, in most cases, there is no precise mechanism to guarantee the allocation of these resources to empower and respond to the needs of the most vulnerable groups within developing countries. While the current clean technology race in developed countries may help to accelerate clean innovation, it may hurt overall equity. Climate funds allocation often combines the industrial, economic, and geopolitical interests of those who own the resource. Consequently, it may focus more on the problems and priorities of those who own the resources than on beneficiaries and local communities. And in some cases, it may even hinder the development needs of the beneficiary countries, local communities, and developing countries.
Climate justice is a broad concept that emphasizes the need for fairness and equity in addressing the impacts of climate change. It recognizes that the most vulnerable communities, particularly those in developing countries, often bear the most significant burden of climate change despite contributing the least to it. The IMF shows a clear correlation between those countries with higher exposure and lower adaptive capacity.
The effects and policies of climate change will modify the strategic position of countries and economic groups (between countries and within countries). The lack of an active strategy will mean a passive realignment and accelerate the disempowerment of those most impacted by climate change. On the contrary, the necessary reallocation of resources (financial, technological, and cultural) can be an opportunity to decrease inequalities. In this context, the importance of climate justice goes beyond equity and historical responsibility; it is important for guaranteeing human rights, sustainable development, and protecting democracy.
The ability of democracies to tackle climate change will depend on how inclusive mitigation and adaptation policies are. As with any other policy in a democratic context, these policies require political support. Thus, climate change policies that do not consider socio-economic development will struggle to be implemented. The effort to implement policies without inclusion can become a challenge for democracy. Most right-wing, anti-democratic political forces are aligned with climate change deniers. Their discourse often gains supporters from working-class and vulnerable groups by arguing how climate change policy may negatively impact their short-term well-being, for instance, by increasing fuel costs or banning (or increasing the costs) of some economic activities. In this context, the climate justice perspective must be at the heart of a positive dynamic between democracy and climate change policies.
Climate justice and democracy strengthening are also aligned with the need to empower the most vulnerable groups impacted by the effects and policies of climate change. Climate justice emphasizes the importance of inclusive decision-making processes locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Civil society organizations representing women, workers, Indigenous people, people of color, front-line communities, and low-income groups (among other vulnerable groups) must be empowered to push further the climate justice agenda while deepening democracy.
COP 30 means that Brazil will preside over the proceedings and negotiations; it allows the host country to push further the concept of climate justice, considering the different perspectives about vulnerability. It will allow discussion considering international policy, the Global South’s demands, and underline regional collaboration (e.g., South America). It will also allow discussion of climate justice inside the country and among different key groups. However, benefiting from this opportunity depends on the country’s preparation during the next 18 months. Thus, it will require the government and governmental institutions to be well prepared internally and externally. It will also require an enormous effort from civil society organizations. Finally, it will require dialogue at different levels, from local to international groups, to guarantee inclusion and diversity in the political and technical discussions.
