Climate change is real and it is coming fast towards us. If we still continue to be apathetic towards this growing malign of our society then we will be the culprit, the only culprit of our own destruction. We should go beyond posting and reposting environmental articles, by actually understanding the real impacts of climate change. We also need to understand that this issue is a question of our morality, and how it affects our right to live. We should start learning that we all have our own responsibility for defending the Human Rights that are being directly affected by climate change.

Climate change is a natural phenomenon

Throughout thousands of years, records show that the global climate already changed not necessarily because of human activities. Yes, climate change is a natural phenomenon brought about by various natural occurrences. These natural occurrences include sunlight variations, volcanic activities, continental drift, and greenhouse gas emissions. There are natural causes that affect our climate but this does not mean that we should just watch our planet’s own meltdown.

Several significant steps have been taken to curb the growing effects of climate change, from international agreements to businesses’ proactive solution, by endorsing and using renewable energy.

Countries are slowly working together to provide a breathable future for us and the coming generations.

Human rights and climate justice

As we all know extreme weather conditions, caused by climate change, greatly affect our living conditions, regardless of your race, nationality, social status, and regardless if you are living in a First world or Third world country.

Everyone living on Earth is affected but the greatest dilemma that we all should be aware of is the victims who do not or lack the capacity to cope up with these natural disasters.

It is one of our basic human rights to live in freedom and safety but with the recent events in our environment even this simple, basic right is being violated.

Droughts in already severely hot countries and abnormal strong typhoons in low-lying coastal areas are adding insult to injury. We should all come to the realization and understanding that in order for our action in combating climate change to be hundred percent successful, we should notice and respond to both sides of climate change, and this is where climate justice comes in.

Climate change is more than an environmental problem. It is a social, ethical, and political issue that challenges all sectors of our society. Climate justice primarily implores that those who are severely affected are those who are least responsible for the climatic change in our planet. United States has the second most carbon dioxide emissions from energy consumption with 5414 million metric tons carbon emissions while, in comparison, Fiji ranks 158th with 1.8 million metric tons of CO2 emissions.

This comparison justifies the fundamental argument of climate justice.

The staggering numerical data of carbon emissions should be hard proof enough that we need to further our studies on and understanding of climate justice. We need to make sure that our “concrete” plans will be properly implemented and will be carried on by future generations, governments, and civilians. We need complete human cooperation and the solid will of all global governments to be the main driving forces in changing the mistaken path that we clumsily took.

Earth is our planet. Earth is our home. Earth gave us life and so we should give Earth back the life that she deserves.