Unequal Impact: Climate Change and the Rights of Women and Minority Groups in Africa

• Main Authors: Addaney, Michael, Dumenu, Yvonne Claire, Boseah, Victor Kwadwo
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: eCommons 2023
• Subjects: Africa; climate change; climate justice; Indigenous Peoples; human rights-based approach; right to sustainable development; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://ecommons.udayton.edu/human_rights/2023/concurrent4d/3; https://ecommons.udayton.edu/context/human_rights/article/1597/viewcontent/auto_convert.pdf

The 2021 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change observed that “vulnerability of ecosystems and people to climate change differs substantially among and within regions […], driven by patterns of intersecting socio-economic development, unsustainable ocean and land use, inequity, marginalization, historical and ongoing patterns of inequity such as colonialism, and governance.” The uneven distribution of climate change impacts is influenced by historical and spatial injustice stemming from systemic discrimination, inequality and marginalization, imperialism, slavery, and colonialism. Sudden and slow onset climate impacts such as rising temperatures and sea levels, increased flooding and drought, ocean acidification, as well as the increasing frequency of extreme climatic events and “natural disasters” exacerbate the vulnerabilities of marginalized communities and groups such as Indigenous Peoples, ethnic and sexual minorities, migrants and refugees. Not only do indigenous peoples face increased risks of poverty, food insecurity, displacement and forced migration, but they also face the possible loss of cultural heritage and erosion of their right to self-determination. In 2021, the Human Rights Council recognized the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a fundamental human right. The Council further recognized that the impacts of climate change, environmental degradation and the continued exploitation of natural resources constitute a significant threat to the effective enjoyment of this right and other human rights. Using doctrinal methods and the human rights-based approach, this paper therefore explores opportunities within the human rights and international development system to effectively address the specific demands for climate justice from vulnerable communities and marginalized groups, focusing on poor and rural women, Indigenous Peoples, informal urban communities (slum dwellers), forest-dependent communities, and sexual minorities. The findings seeks to highlight ...