Palestine, Climate Justice and Intersectionality

The intrinsic interconnectedness of humanity’s fight for human rights and justice across the globe

Nandana James

Palestine, climate change, intersectionality, global justice, inequalities—at first glance, these could seem like widely disparate issues, but on closer inspection, they cannot be more inextricably interlinked. In this resource by Nandana James, she delves deep into these topics and their intrinsic interconnectedness. Some of the topics she explores include how Israel’s atrocities in Palestine are a matter of climate injustice; how wars and occupation exacerbate the climate crisis; climate colonialism; how the West need to make reparations for its historic and present day role in fuelling the climate crisis; the need to mainstream intersectionality in the climate movement; as well as how climate action can alleviate inequalities and help meet basic human rights/needs.

Understanding issues of climate justice and human rights violations, and being informed of the nuances and contexts associated with them, is indispensable in the process of standing up and acting for change. This is particularly significant given how rife misinformation and propaganda are—especially when it comes to climate change—and how they serve to obfuscate important nuances, socio-political and historical contexts that we need to be aware of in order to be informed and empowered to take real action.

We hope this resource is one step towards understanding pressing social justice issues and acting for change. 

Please note: The views expressed in this resource are those of the author, and they do not necessarily represent Friends of the Earth Ireland’s official stance on the topics.