Opinion: Climate justice delayed is justice denied

By Commonwealth Secretary-General, The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC and Dr Nazia Mintz Habib FRSA, Founder of the Centre for Resilience and Sustainable Development.

At COP27 there was a multitude of competing interests and voices that sought the world’s attention. But one thing that became clear was the chorus of small and often vulnerable states demanding justice now and at scale to address their concerns and the challenges they face. Despite the progress we have made in the 30 years since the first COP in Rio, the crucial issue of climate justice remains off track.

At its heart, climate justice aims to support the most vulnerable people and places who face the direct and most dramatic impacts of the climate crisis. It considers the outsized role that some actors have played in causing the crisis and their responsibility in supporting those most affected.