Day 23: Climate Justice Is Labor Justice.
Climate change does not impact everyone equally – and neither does the burden of labor. Across the Global South, extractive industries pollute Indigenous lands, garment workers toil in unsafe factories, and communities suffer the toxic effects of corporate greed. Climate degradation and labor exploitation are two sides of the same coin.
Youth-led climate movements are shining a light on these intersecting injustices. Activists like Vanessa Nakate in Uganda and Helena Gualinga from the Kichwa Sarayaku community in Ecuador remind us that the fight for climate justice must include the voices of those most impacted – especially workers and communities in the Global South.
“You cannot have climate justice without labor justice.” – Vanessa Nakate
When factories spew toxins into rivers, when child labor fuels rare earth mining, when entire communities are displaced for palm oil or fast fashion – these are not just environmental crises. They are violations of human dignity and workers’ rights. Young leaders around the globe are calling us to reject the logic of profit over people and to imagine a new world rooted in equity, sustainability, and care.
What would a just economy look like – one where both workers and the Earth can thrive?
Learn More & Take Action
- Climate Justice Alliance
- Garment Worker Center
- Amazon Watch
- Fridays for Future MAPA (Most Affected People and Areas)
Recommended Reading
- A People’s Green New Deal by Max Ajl
- The Intersectional Environmentalist by Leah Thomas
Listen & Watch
- Powerlands (documentary)
- Hot Take podcast
A Blessing for the Climate Justice Warriors
May your fire for the Earth
burn brighter than the apathy around you.
May your voices shake boardrooms and parliaments
until they remember the weight of responsibility.
May your love for land, water, and sky
be met with solidarity that multiplies your strength.
You are the guardians of what cannot be denied.
Thank you.
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