Conscience and Climate Justice
Elevating Environmental Rights as Human Rights
The ethnotheater play “Zona de Promesa” by Compañía Las Viajantes concludes its tour in Neltume, marking the final stop in the “Sites of Conscience and Vulnerable Territories” project.
The connection between climate change and human rights is undeniable. Environmental degradation not only deepens existing inequalities but also fuels conflict, displacement, and systemic human rights violations. Over the years, through our close collaboration with members of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience and partners of the Global Initiative for Justice, Truth, and Reconciliation (GIJTR), we have seen how environmental harm disproportionately affects marginalized communities, often compounding historical injustices. Despite this, climate justice is still too often overlooked in broader human rights conversations. It is crucial that environmental destruction be recognized and addressed with the same urgency as other human rights abuses.
For instance, in Namibia and South Africa, the legacies of racial injustice and colonial exploitation have led to ongoing environmental harm, disproportionately affecting communities that have long been denied social and economic rights. Similarly, in Nigeria, extractive industries have devastated local ecosystems, displacing entire communities and sparking conflict. These examples highlight the urgent need to integrate environmental concerns into human rights frameworks, ensuring accountability and sustainable solutions.
As we continue to work with organizations dedicated to justice, memory, and human rights, we aim to elevate this critical conversation and emphasize the inseparable link between environmental justice and human rights. Explore the resources below, including webinars and policy papers, to learn more about this pressing issue and join us in advocating for a more just and sustainable future.
Resources
Webinar
Public Historians and the Climate Crisis
In this Conscience Matters webinar, join Braden Paynter, Director of Methodology and Practice, as he speaks to Sites of Conscience members about environmental justice in the context of history and the present.
Project
Sites of Conscience and Vulnerable Territories: The Human Right to Live in a Healthy Environment
Through a multidisciplinary approach, primarily ethnographic, the project seeks to give a “face” to the victims of environmental degradation caused by human activities. It connects the Site of Conscience Parque por la Paz Villa Grimaldi, the Corporación de Memoria y Cultura de Puchuncaví, and the Centro Cultural Museo y Memoria Neltume as active and critical spaces that facilitate public dialogue on contemporary issues from a human rights perspective.
In essence, the project aims to describe, analyze, and illustrate the relationship between human rights and the environment, focusing on pressing environmental challenges in Chile—particularly those related to the rights to life, health, food, and participation. Ultimately, this initiative asserts that human rights and the environment are interdependent issues, grounded in the dignity and freedom of all people.
Policy Paper
Environmental and Transitional Justice: Addressing the Bidirectional Relationship Between Environmental Changes and Conflict in Post-Conflict Societies
This policy brief aims to shed light on the complex, bidirectional relationship between environmental changes and conflict, emphasizing the importance of integrating environmental considerations into transitional justice processes.
This policy paper is available in English.
Webinar
Climate and Conscience: How Transitional Justice Processes Can Support Environmental Justice
This webinar delved into the critical intersection of climate justice and transitional justice, exploring how addressing environmental degradation can support post-conflict recovery and promote sustainable peacebuilding.
Our panelists brought a wealth of expertise and experience to the conversation. Marin Murdock, a dedicated advocate for environmental justice, focused on how environmental factors both contribute to and are impacted by conflict. Nelson G. Ologhadien, Esq., a lawyer and academic, highlighted climate justice in Africa, particularly in Nigeria, and its intersection with global legal frameworks and human rights advocacy.