In the short time humans have been on earth, they have achieved more success and delivered more destruction than any other creature ever has. Charles C. Mann describes humans as “unusually successful”- an accurate description when one looks at the adaptability of humans versus other organisms. The goal of all living beings is to reproduce and ensure their biological future. Natural selection weeds out those incapable of adapting, leaving those with better survival skills. But what happens when one species can escape the limits that restrains the rest?
The moment humans became behaviorally modern is the moment they ensured their survival- but also their destruction. From the beginning where humans learned to cultivate the land specifically to feed them, to using fossil fuels to power modern inventions, humans use earth’s resources for their own benefit. These benefits come with a myriad of results, one being the rapid growth of human population (this in itself breeds new issues, such as food scarcity). In addition to this, inventions requiring an abundance of resources, namely fossil fuels, contribute to the warming of the planet through the release of immense amounts of gases into the atmosphere.
What can be done now, when a temperature increase of 0.8 degrees Celsius has already caused so much devastation? That depends on who you ask. While some, such as market liberals and institutionalists, argue that a global environmental crisis does not even exist, others, namely bio-environmentalists and social greens (those focusing on justice), warn that failure to act now will have catastrophic effects on the future of not only humanity, but of the whole planet.
Now, in an effort to save our planet, we must also remember those who suffer the most from climate change: the marginalized and the Global South, who contribute the least to climate change but experience the consequences the most. In a “just transition,” we are not only working to help our planet, but also vulnerable groups. Put simply, understanding social justice is a key component to climate justice.
Climate Crew 