INTRODUCTION: Climate Justice beyond the Minority World - Towards Decolonial Knowledges

Book chapter, 2023

Climate justice emerged in the 1990s within activist and later academic circles as a concept that challenged the mainstream scientific and technocratic discussions around climate change. Climate justice itself was pioneered by social movements in the Minority World, and as such, many studies of its use and application remain focused on countries in Europe and North America. Critiques are calls for decolonizing the thinking around, and actions in response to, climate change, which frequently rest on ‘alternative’ knowledges and values. This chapter provides a brief overview of the state of the art and knowledge gaps in the field of climate justice and explains why there is need to use the term ‘Majority World’ over various alternatives. Despite offering valuable contributions to climate change and justice scholarship, they can often lack the authorship experience and the professional connections needed to gain access to, and be published by, ‘top-tier’ journals and press.