Intersectional Environmental Justice
Image from Intersectional Environmentalist website
Intersectional environmentalism focuses on how climate justice is interconnected to fighting against all other forms of oppression. We cannot have climate justice without racial justice, social justice, and gender quality. Only through an inclusive and diverse understanding of the world and each other, can we help the planet. The climate crisis affects everyone, and will affect the future of our whole planet, but it impacts some people and countries more than others.
Through being inclusive and ensuring that everyone has a seat at the table, there is more space for understanding and less for ignorance. This means that we can collectively find ways to create change together. The climate crisis will not be solved by one person or country, it is a global issue that needs to solves by the whole world working together. Similarly, racial and gender injustice is a global issue. There needs to be space for people of colour and womxn at every table and conversation, who are poignant change-makers and leaders. Black Lives Matters and Intersectional Environmentalism are very interconnected, supporting one movement inherently means supporting both. The issue of inclusion and the future of the planet is intertwined with the need for racial, gender, and climate justice.
Leah Thomas is an intersectional environmentalist and author, who advocates for climate and racial justice, and diversity. She is the founder of Intersectional Environmentalist which is an online media and resource platform. Her first book, titled “The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet” was published this month.
Photo of Leah Thomas and her book on her Instagram @greengirlleah
In an article Thomas wrote for Vogue called “As a Black Environmentalist, I Wanted So Much More from COP26,” she shares; “There is an odd duality that comes with being one of few environmentalists of color in such an exclusive space. On one hand, we understand the privilege we’ve been granted to represent our people and advocate for our livelihoods. On the other hand, we have to deal with not being fully valued or actually listened to.”
What happened at COP26?
COP26 in 2021, was meant to be more inclusive than ever, yet even though people of colour were invited, they weren’t actually included. Thomas interviews many activists who attended the climate conference. Many youth activists weren’t able to attend most of the panels, instead, older adults and people who work at fossil fuel corporations were given seats. Even in a speech by President Obama for youth climate activism, but as Alexandra Villasenor said, youth were not given space to join. COP26 was not inclusive of the youth who will be facing the impacts of climate crisis int he future, or of people of colour. This is particularly concerning because many of the activists who weren’t included represent countries that are most impacted by the effects of climate injustice.
Xiye Bastida was one of the climate activists who attended COP26, she is 19 years old and from Chile and Mexico, and lives in New York City. She is a member of the Indigenous Mexican Otomi-Toltec people, and both of her parents are also environmentalists. Growing up in Mexico before moving to New York, she experienced climate disasters like droughts and floods, which gave her a first hand understanding of the devastating effects of the climate crisis. At university Bastida majors in environmental science, and she combines her personal, community, and academic knowledge in her climate activism. At COP26, she gave a speech at the World Leaders Summit. Leah Thomas shares that when Bastida spoke, most of the leaders had left the conference. However, she still shared her voice and message with the world, which she continues to do in the world and on social media. Recently Vogue featured Bastida and her work in an article.
Photo by Miranda Barnes in Vogue article
Soul Fire Farm is a diverse, Afro-Indigenous community focusing on racial and environmental justice, and food sovereignty . The farm is located on healing land where they run programs educating people in food sovereignty, to combine a training for activism and farming. In their programs, they do work in farming, food justice, and aim to end food apartheid.
The work Soul Fire Farm does is incredibly important to the people in their community and to the climate movement. They too highlight the importance of intersectional environmentalism. No issue is isolated on its own. Soul Fire Farm’s philosophy and practice demonstrates how climate justice can not be achieved without focusing on racial justice too. Through an approach that combines activism, environmentalism, diversity and inclusion, and education, Soul Fire Farm can inspire thought and change in their own community as well as other communities that see the work they are doing.
Leah Penniman is a food sovereignty activist who is the co-director, co-founder, and farm manager of Soul Fire Farm. She wrote a book called “Farming While Black” and her work centres around people of colour finding agency in food, and belonging in the Earth. Penniman is a change-maker, and the initiatives she has created have been very powerful.
Leah Thomas, Xiye Bastida, Leah Penniman, are all incredibly inspirational activists. They are among the many people of colour who show that climate justice is inherently connected with all other forms of justice. We cannot solve one form of oppression without looking at every other form. These women are working to save the planet, and focus on diversity and inclusion.