As world leaders gathered in Glasgow for COP26, JCWI brought together activists and campaigners at the forefront of the struggle for racial and climate justice.
Too often, discussions about climate change are rooted in racism and fear – it’s common to hear people say that we must take action to combat the climate crisis to prevent more people from being displaced and seeking refuge in countries like the UK.
But the truth is that the richest 1% of the world’s population cause twice as much carbon dioxide as the poorest 50%. And that same poorest 50% – 3.5 billion people – live overwhelmingly in the countries most vulnerable to climate change, meaning that they are bearing the brunt of a crisis they did not cause.
Here in the UK, too, we’re seeing communities of colour disproportionately affected by pollution and the climate crisis.
At this critical time for migrants’ rights, and for action on the climate crisis, it’s more imp…