Secure rights are the foundation of rapid transition. Without secure rights and a say over how to address climate change, decisions imposed from above may be resented or rejected.
For rapid transitions to work for all, they have to be just, and based on real, accessible and democratic decision-making. All kinds of positive rights have been agreed internationally over decades. Access to food, shelter, dignity, and freedom from persecution for all, sit alongside the rights of the child. But too often economic systems become entrenched that make securing these rights practically impossible, and climate breakdown is a further assault on all of them.
Sometimes the conflicts become stark and unmissable, such as when land, forest or fishing waters are grabbed from communities for remote, private gain, or a privatised water system prevents access to safe water. Finding ways to reclaim basic rights and see them properly realised and respected is a fundamental part of the picture of rapid transition.
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Commentary
Squaring urgency and equity in the just transition debateIs it possible to accelerate transitions in inclusive ways? Can rapidity be squared with attending to questions of equity and social justice? The question...
Resource
Book: The Politics of Green TransformationsBook published in 2015 that explores how 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' green transformations work, and the roles played by different kinds of alliances among...
