[Cja] Climate justice more than change

[Sina Brown-davis]

  Friday, June 18, 2010

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=150362

CLIMATE justice is more than climate change, it is about structures that 
perpetuate unjust relationships.

Speaking at the Pacifika Climate Leadership workshop, Pacific Council of 
Churches general secretary Fei Tevi said there was indeed an issue for 
climate justice, especially for the region.

"One is that climate change is real and there's little or no room for 
skepticism," he said, adding climate change was a result of structures 
that perpetuated unjust relationships.

"Climate change is also about addressing the way of life that does not 
quantify or qualify nature capital. Climate change is about being 
responsible to the other," he said.

He said climate justice was the fair treatment of all people, freedom 
from policies and systems that created climate change.

Mr Tevi said due to climate change there was an increase in the 
intensity and frequency of weather patterns.

"That means whatever we used to have when we were born, we have 10 times 
as much or five times," he said.

Mr Tevi said along with weather patterns, farming patterns had also changed.

"When we start looking at climate change, we begin looking at structures 
that perpetuate this type of relationship," he said.

Mr Tevi said by structures he meant Western model development.

He said everything should contribute to the well-being of that species.

"If you understand it that way, then if you look at all our trade 
agreements, if you look at our economies, all our economies are geared 
and structured in that mind-set that says 'I don't care about the 
environment'," Mr Tevi said.

He said when climate activists discussed unjust relationships, they 
talked about economic relationships.

"It is not the relationships that we want to address. It's the structure 
that we want to address because if you are addressing the structure then 
you are addressing the cause of this relationship," he said.

Mr Tevi said there was a lack of proper accountability for the cost of 
the erosion of our ecosystems and the increasing pollution.

"We do not really account for how much nature gives us," he said, adding 
that in climate justice there was also a sense of responsibility.

"So you should acknowledge the fact that there is climate injustice and 
a certain amount of responsibility that one has to take," he said.