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WORK STREAM

CLIMATE JUSTICE

Climate Justice is a new stream created in 2024 to address the climate crisis facing our planet and humanity, recognising this issue as part of a broader crisis of capitalism. 

Climate change is a justice issue. A wealthy minority (mainly in the global north) is primarily responsible for historic emissions, yet the worst impacts of the climate crisis are felt by the world’s small-scale and peasant farmers, fishers, and working class in the global South who have contributed relatively little to the problem.

South Africa faces multiple climate risks including rising average temperatures and shifts in seasonal precipitation, sea-level rise, and more frequent and intense heatwaves, flooding, droughts, and storms. Climate change is risk multiplier that worsens existing challenges such as food insecurity, water access, health, declining biodiversity and weak infrastructure.

Raising Awareness and Building Capacity

TCOE develops educational materials and runs awareness-raising activities to build climate literacy. We integrate climate change into our training programmes and are developing tools for community-based disaster preparedness to build resilience against climate events such as floods and droughts.

Advocacy, Campaigns and Movement Building

TCOE advocates for climate justice through policy reviews and submissions, campaigns for climate justice and supporting climate advocacy in local movements. We are developing methodologies for capturing stories of climate losses and damages to advocate for climate debt and reparations.