Philippine–Misereor Partnership, Inc. (PMPI) forged solidarity with other civil society organizations on December 9, in response to the International Global Day of Action to demand climate justice from major polluters and destroyers of our planet’s critical ecosystems.
We, at PMPI, believe that the planet is in a climate crisis because the existing social systems are captured by corporate and big business interests that ravage nature and treat it without respect. They over-extract and abuse nature up to the brink of extinction to satisfy their economic gains – to produce, sell more products, and earn more profit. This system is strengthened by government laws enabling businesses to utilize and process resources to contribute to economic development. In the guise of development and promoting humanity’s well–being, these corporations and governments continue to put forward the perspective of loss and damage to pay off human suffering from the increasing impact of the climate crisis.
Even as we in PMPI believe that climate justice demands that we recognize the disproportionate impact of environmental degradation and climate change on vulnerable people, communities, and countries, climate justice should also address the root causes of climate–related challenges. We must change the extractivist and market–oriented economic development framework that has caused the destruction of our ecosystems, limiting their capacity to maintain balance and regenerate.
Climate justice cannot exist without acknowledging that nature is the primary nexus of the rights violations. People’s rights and nature’s rights are interconnected. Society has to recognize that humans and nature are part of a whole system that sustains all life forms. Climate justice is not just for people but also for nature. Nature and people need protection and accorded with justice to ensure the planet’s sustainability.
Our Call to Action:
We should not stop only at demanding loss and damages for vulnerable people but also urge the corporations and governments of developed countries to protect, allow reprieve, and give reparations for nature. We should not be content with giving a price tag to the damages inflicted on nature and people and just let polluters pay or offset it.
Instead, we should work towards systems change. We need to develop new social systems – economic, political, and cultural that uphold the rights of nature alongside human rights, ensuring a sustainable and harmonious coexistence for present and future generations.
Together, we can and should champion climate justice that safeguards the rights of nature and humans, fostering a healthier planet for people and all living beings.
There is no climate justice without the rights of nature.
Pass the Rights of Nature Bill in Congress.
