Climate Justice and Migrant Justice

The past few weeks have seen scenes of painful unrest in the UK, in terms of racism, Islamophobia and the continued demonisation and persecution of people seeking asylum in this country. Amidst the far-right violence, it has also been heartening to see people taking action to show solidarity with refugees and migrant communities. 

How does all of this relate to climate change? The lack of intersectionality within climate movements has increasingly been drawing attention in recent years.

Climate justice is an intersectional issue, disproportionately impacting people who already experience marginalisation in society, both in the UK and globally. Climate justice, social justice, health justice and racial justice are deeply connected. As the climate crisis deepens, more people around the world are being displaced from their homes, often in countries that have contributed least to global emissions. Meanwhile, rich countries (who have built their wealth on centuries of colonialism and exploitation, and historically have contributed most to the climate crisis) increasingly speak of the need to tighten their borders when it comes to migration from countries bearing the brunt of climate breakdown.

As a music therapist who has worked with people seeking asylum in the UK, it has often struck me how causes of climate change disproportionately impact asylum seekers in this country, for instance, in terms of people frequently being housed in areas with high levels of air pollution and with lack of access to green spaces, all of which can have a detrimental impact on people's health and wellbeing. Opportunities for people seeking asylum to raise their concerns in these areas and have them listened to are also noticeably absent.

Environmental movements should and must work to include the voices of people from all backgrounds, including asylum seekers and migrants. Below are some suggested resources to read and learn more - please feel free to share further ideas or comments!

Further reading/actions:

- Did you know that environment and conservation professions are amongst the least diverse in the UK? The RACE Report was created to focus on charities and funders working on environmental and conservation issues, highlighting the need for greater representation in sustainability and climate action.

- To explore the connections between climate justice and migrant justice, here is some further reading and resources from the Climate Justice Coalition. 

- Support Migrant Voice, a migrant led organisation established in 2010 to address an acute lack of migrants’ voices or perspectives in the media coverage of migration