Zonta District 12 Press Release: What is Climate Justice and Why Should We Care?

Zonta International, District 12 is located in a four-state region, Colorado – Montana –South Dakota – Wyoming. There are many weather-related disasters in this region –wildfires, floods, tornados, avalanches, drought, increased number of extreme heat days, and extreme storms. These states face diminishing fresh water supply, worsening air pollution from oil/gas/fracking exploration and extraction, rising food prices, and rising insurance costs or lack of coverage depending upon location. Vulnerable populations; i.e. the elderly, homeless, jobless, differently abled, single parents, children, women, and girls; are the most affected by these climate related issues and the least able to recover economically.

Climate justice is the relationship between achieving social justice and embracing climate action. It is a term that co-ops the attention required to reduce inequity, and injustice (such as; child marriage, gender-based violence, poverty, and economic recovery) while tackling local community climate related problems through advocacy, service, and education. The reason for the two-fold effort is that worsening environmental conditions and worsening social inequities go hand-in-hand. When one worsens, so does the other.

This topic can feel overwhelming and unapproachable. The key to surmounting these commonly felt negative feelings is digging in with passion to collaborate, connect, create opportunities, and in one’s own authentic way, lead in your community. These actions ensure climate justice is at the forefront of our attention and actions so everyone in the community has the opportunity to thrive.

Why should we care?

Zonta International’s tagline is to ‘Build a better world for women and girls’. The key ingredients in relation to climate justice are ‘better’ and ‘world’. The goal is to build a cleaner environment to improve the health status, living conditions, safety, opportunities, and financial stability of women and girls.

How do we begin this powerful task of building a better world through gender-equality and climate action?

o Learn – Listen – Talk – Ask questions – Start by learning and listening to community members about local issues to build a coalition for change. Get involved in the conversation and invite others to contribute.

o Collaborate with like-minded organizations and community leaders to build awareness in the community about disaster preparation, readiness for evacuation, disaster response, and recovery plans.

o Ask community leaders and decision-makers, ‘Are you considering the needs and safety of everyone, including women, girls, differently abled, elderly, homeless, single parents, lower income families, and their pets?

o Ask ‘Are decisions at local government, state government, and school boards made with gender-balanced leadership?’ If not, advocate for equal representation at the decision-making table.

o Write letters to local newspapers about climate justice, social justice and climate action.

o Support state and federal legislative efforts that protect people and the planet.

o Volunteer to participate in disaster readiness and recovery planning initiatives.

o Invest in girls’ and women’s education, especially STEM and social sciences that focus on social justice and human rights.

o Seek input from others when gathering information before planning community service projects. This is a cost-saving and efficient method to serve the community.

This is how we use our voice to achieve climate justice. Anyone can take part. Together we are stronger and more powerful to build a better world.

By: Julie Trone

Zonta District 12

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