The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has already issued a red alert: The world could see a 1.5°C increase in global temperature by 2030., ...with extremely negative impacts on fauna, flora, and, above all, on the most vulnerable people on the planet. In Brazil, this scenario is no longer abstract. The floods in Rio Grande do Sul in 2024, the worst drought in the last 70 years, and the passage of a tornado through Paraná in 2025 show that... you extreme weather events They are already part of our reality..
Rebuilding life after these events is even more complex when considering that factors such as gender, age, race, and ethnicity intersect and add to existing inequalities. That is why talking about climate action today necessarily means talking about... climate justice.
What is climate justice?
Climate justice and the concept that acknowledges that the climate crisis does not affect all people in the same way.. The impacts of climate change they are distributed in an unequal manner, deepening social, economic, and environmental inequalities that already existed before the crisis.. The concept proposes a fair and equitable response, which takes into account the disparities between different groups, especially those that contributed least to the problem but are most exposed to its effects.
According to the World Bank (2023), approximately 19% of the Brazilian population lives in municipalities with high environmental risk., 8% in areas of high socioeconomic vulnerability, and 2% are simultaneously exposed to both factors.. These numbers reinforce something essential: understanding the real impact of climate change each territory requires cross-reference social, economic, and environmental data,Do not analyze them in isolation.
An impact that is not the same for everyone.
To the most vulnerable populations, such as those living in low-income regions, coastal areas, and developing countries, They face the greatest risks of natural disasters, despite historically contributing the least to global warming.. Floods, droughts, and heat waves exacerbate poverty, food insecurity, and lack of access to water and healthcare., deepening inequalities that were already there.
This imbalance has a name: environmental racism. This refers to the unequal distribution of environmental burdens and benefits among communities, disproportionately affecting indigenous peoples, quilombola communities, traditional communities, and Black populations, who tend to live in areas with greater exposure to pollution and environmental risks, and less access to resources to protect and adapt themselves.
Historical responsibility is also a central part of this debate. industrialized countries, which have emitted the most greenhouse gases over decades, They have a duty to lead efforts to reduce emissions and to provide financial and technical support to developing countries., precisely those who suffer the most from the impacts they helped the least to create.
Concrete paths to promote climate justice in Brazil
Promoting climate justice requires action on multiple fronts simultaneously.. Among the most urgent are the guarantee of public participation and access to climate information, a centralizing issues of race, class, and gender in addressing environmental racism., and the effective guarantee of the rights of indigenous peoples, quilombola communities, and traditional communities., especially through the demarcation of lands and the proper environmental management of these territories.
It is also essential to expand the Sustainability through the guarantee of basic social and economic rights., such as fair income, food security, access to health and water, since these factors are the foundation of climate resilience, that is, the ability to communities recover in the face of extreme events. At the same time, the green energy transition It needs to proceed with heightened caution. Wind and solar energy projects, while preferable to fossil fuels, can generate negative socio-environmental impacts throughout their production chain, and environmental licensing must consider this complexity on a case-by-case basis.
Climate justice is also a gender issue.
Climate change disproportionately affects women., especially in the poorest communities, where they are often primarily responsible for ensuring access to water and food for their families. Addressing the climate justice Looking at things from a gender perspective—and in an intersectional way—is essential for the proposed solutions to be truly inclusive and effective.
The role of climate finance
Financial resources directed to mitigation and to adapting to change climate are essential for developing countries can reduce emissions, develop clean technologies, and strengthen their resilience to natural disasters.. This funding can come from governments, international institutions, and also the private sector. And it is precisely at this point that mechanisms such as... blended finance They gain relevance by combining public, philanthropic, and private capital to enable projects that, on their own, would hardly get off the ground. Directing resources strategically, with attention to the most vulnerable communities, is an essential part of any serious agenda. climate justice.
Innovative financial mechanisms as part of the solution.
In the face of climate urgency, Public and philanthropic capital alone is not enough to finance all the necessary transformation. It is necessary To design innovative financial mechanisms capable of attracting and combining different sources of funding around projects with real socio-environmental impact..
It is in this space that the Sitawi Finances for Good acts: Structuring financial solutions that connect capital and funders to initiatives focused on climate justice., always paying attention to the most vulnerable communities and the territories most exposed to climate risks.
Understand why climate finance is not yet reaching the territories.
Large energy and infrastructure projects concentrate the majority of capital in financing. The logic of the market. tends to favor larger companies and formal structures.. However, businesses that work for the benefit of communities and protect biomes do not compete in this field, and furthermore They have few financial instruments suited to their reality..
For to analyze, to understand and propose changes, a Climate Ventures and the Sitawi Finances for Good they drew up a proposal for a new financial model created for redistribute power and to ensure that capital reaches those who truly protect our biomes..
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a concept that recognizes that the impacts of the climate crisis do not affect all people in the same way, proposing fair and equitable responses that consider the social, economic, and environmental inequalities between different groups.
It is the unequal distribution of environmental burdens and benefits among people and communities, affecting indigenous peoples, quilombola communities, traditional communities, and black populations most severely.
Because the country combines great biodiversity and strong social inequality, extreme weather events disproportionately affect the most vulnerable populations, especially in the North and Northeast regions.
Directing resources toward mitigation and adaptation projects that prioritize communities most exposed to climate risks and historically least responsible for the problem.
