Low wealth communities, communities of color, and other systematically marginalized and excluded groups are differentially burdened by climate hazards and are often excluded from environmental decision making. As a result, environmental justice issues are local but often follow the same patterns: political disenfranchisement, the denial of basic amenities, the absence of salutogenic infrastructure, discriminatory laws, fragmentation in urban development, unequal enforcement of environmental regulations, and disproportionate exposures. These patterns of inequity are globally pervasive. The 2021 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland presented additional barriers to meaningful involvement and true representation of climate advocacy organizations and groups from the Global South. COP26 negotiations directly impact those already frontline and fenceline to environmental injustices, so the lived expertise of these groups must inform climate policy. This must be translated into policies at all levels; international and national policies have local effects. Climate activism and empowerment are central to shifting from expert-oriented processes to community-driven solutions. Science can also be a powerful tool to validate these experiences and combat injustices through climate literacy, citizen science, and reliable, publicly available data. Herein, we observe how climate activism at COP26 influenced policy negotiations. Environmental justice work is inherently relationally driven and place-based, so a major convening such as COP26 can be a crucible for health and environmental equity.

Grassroots advocacy at the global level: Climate justice demands at COP26

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.