Climate Injustice
by Friederike Otto
Key Concepts
Event Attribution
Scientific methods now precisely link specific extreme weather events to human-induced climate change.
Unequal Burden
Communities with the least historical emissions bear the brunt of climate change's most severe impacts.
Legacy Emissions
Wealthy nations' historical emissions are the primary drivers of current climate crises and their associated injustices.
Climate Reparations
Justice demands financial and resource transfers to compensate nations for unavoidable climate-induced losses and damages.
Justice Deficit
There's a critical lack of legal and moral accountability for those most responsible for climate change's devastating effects.
Action Items
Support climate litigation holding major polluters accountable for damages.
Advocate for robust climate finance and adaptation funds for vulnerable nations.
Demand equitable global policies that prioritize climate justice over economic gain.
Educate others on the inextricable link between climate change and social inequality.
Amplify the voices and needs of frontline communities most affected by climate impacts.
Core Thesis
Climate change is fundamentally a crisis of injustice, where historical polluters disproportionately impact the world's most vulnerable populations.
Mindset Shift
The book shifts perspective from climate change as a purely environmental problem to a profound issue of historical and ongoing social injustice.