The Climate Changes are for Everyone, but is the Impact the Same? OPINION February 15, 2025

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The Climate Changes are for Everyone, but is the Impact the Same?

I fell in love with this topic, Climate Justice, a long time ago. Since then, I've been studying issues of race, gender, age, and economic conditions to understand how climate change impacts these groups. We know that we live in a society with great inequalities, but do the effects of climate change also affect people unequally?

To begin this reflection, I always like to bring up the concept of equality and equity. In the concept of equality, everyone is governed by the same rules and has the same rights and duties. Equity, on the other hand, recognizes that not everyone is from the same background and that it is, therefore, necessary to correct these imbalances by offering the necessary resources so that everyone has the same opportunities.

According to the UN, the consequences of climate change include intense droughts, water shortages, severe fires, rising sea levels, floods, melting polar ice, catastrophic storms, and a decline in biodiversity. Although climate change is a global reality, its consequences impact the population unevenly.

Climate change does not occur in isolation from social and economic issues. Considering that we start from unequal conditions and have different privileges, even if extreme events affect everyone, the potential for resilience - that is, the ability to recover - varies according to the socio-economic conditions of each group.

Climate justice encompasses both the historical responsibility of industrialized countries and social issues, such as unequal access to public policies and essential services. The poorest communities, in addition to having contributed little to global emissions, face greater difficulties in dealing with extreme weather events due to a lack of infrastructure and government support. To avoid worsening inequalities, it is essential to ensure that these vulnerable populations have access to adequate resources and protection to face the impacts of climate change.

These inequalities also cut across issues of gender, sexual orientation, and race. Households headed by women, LGBTQIAPN+ people, black, indigenous, and brown people tend to be more socially and economically vulnerable. In addition, age also influences vulnerability, as children, adolescents, and the elderly have weaker immune systems, making them more susceptible to the impacts of climate change.

For more in-depth reading on the subject, I recommend reading the Socio-environmental Climate Justice Adventure, produced by the Institute for Ecological Research - IPÊ, which I was able to take part in preparing.

SDG 13 - Action against Global Climate Change

SDG 10 - Reducing Inequalities

Isabela Volpato Teixeira