On the occasion of Human Rights Day on 10 December, Naturefriends are calling for climate justice as a necessity for ensuring a decent life for all people.

Scientists agree that considerable parts of the Earth will become uninhabitable in the near future as a result of drought, heat, desertification and/or coastal erosion. The consequences of climate change are distributed in tragically highly diverse ways socially, temporally, and regionally. „The climate crisis hits the poorest“, says Manfred Pils, President of Naturefriends International. The people in the West African country of Senegal, for example, one of the poorest countries in the world, are particularly affected by the climate crisis: a large part of the population earns its living in agriculture and fishing. But it is precisely these important economic sectors that are severely affected by climate change - by drought and flooding that lead to crop failures, by altered ocean currents that divert shoals of fish. In addition, entire coastal regions have already sunk into the sea due to rising sea levels and coastal erosion. Thus, tens of thousands of people lose their homes and livelihoods year after year.

The poorest pay the bill

The countries of the Global South are not only suffering from the climate catastrophe for which they are hardly responsible but are also unable to finance measures to mitigate the consequences or repair damage themselves. They are also dependent on massive economic aid to cushion the losses in agriculture and fisheries so that the population is not forced to leave the country.

Climate justice secures the human right to a good life

„Climate justice is a necessity for securing a decent life for all people!“, emphasises Manfred Pils. "Immediate ambitious and binding measures to curb greenhouse gas emissions as well as efficient support for the countries and people most affected by climate change are necessary to enable future generations to have a future worth living. Supporting the countries of the Global South in coping with the consequences of the climate crisis is not charity, but ultimately also secures the future of the people in the Global North".

Climate protection and climate justice are the prerequisites for the successful implementation of
the 17 global development goals with which the UN aims to create the basis for a good life for all
people within the framework of the 2030 Agenda.

The concrete demands of Naturefriends International for more climate justice and what Naturefriends themselves are actively contributing to this can be read in the resolution adopted at the XXV Congress of Naturefriends in October 2023. https://www.nf-int.org/en/themen/climate-justice/aktivitaeten/climate-justice-future

Climate justice is a principle that grants every human being worldwide, including future
generations, the same right to an intact world climate and at the same time strives for equitable
financing of measures necessary because of climate change. www.climatefund.nf-int.org