Climate Justice Begins at Home

Abstract

Most climate scholarship focuses on what nation-states do at international negotiations. What happens in those inter-governmental negotiations, such as the creation of international agreements, is vital to our collective future. However, international agreements are only the start. Implementing those agreements requires granular changes to a wide array of local decisions, including land-use, building standards and transit. These decisions are typically within the purview of states and cities. Thus, subnational actors play a critical role in climate mitigation and adaptation. Actions taken on the local level determine whether measures agreed to on the international sphere are actually implemented (or not). One example of this can be seen in the United States (“U.S.”), where sub-national actors, including several U.S. states, can impede national commitments made on the international stage. This essay examines how New York City is responding to the climate crisis in order to examine the  profound human rights issues of who is driving this climate crisis versus who is on the frontlines of its effects. A just transition requires that we address this dichotomy between who emits carbon and whose rights to property, life, culture, and health are most at risk from climate change. As we create a pathway forward, subnational actors like New York City can play a role in ensuring that the response to climate change includes a just transition.