How connected social movements are making climate action more just and effective

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines how climate action is becoming more inclusive and effective by integrating intersectional social justice movements. Through various case studies, it illustrates collaborations between climate activists and groups fighting for debt cancellation, vaccine equity, homeless rights, racial and indigenous justice, gender equality, and fair labor transitions.

• Climate activists are collaborating with debt and health advocates to address global inequalities, including demands for the unconditional cancellation of debt for Global South countries and fairer COVID-19 vaccine distribution to prevent low-income nations from being left behind.
• In the United States, climate movements are intersecting with efforts to protect the homeless and combat 'fossil fuel racism,' noting that Black Americans and people in poverty disproportionately suffer from pollution and extreme weather impacts.
• Environmental justice efforts in South Africa involve coalitions of local groups, feminist organizations, and labor justice advocates demanding a non-racist and gender-conscious transition away from fossil fuel burning.
• Indigenous leadership is central to global climate strikes, with Brazilian activists highlighting the destruction of the Amazon by agribusiness and indigenous people worldwide acting as frontline agents of conservation.
• Gender-focused climate initiatives are advocating for the recognition of care work within the US Green New Deal and seeking to increase women's participation in the renewable energy sector, where women currently hold less than 11% of energy-related patents.
• The intersection of LGBTQ+ and trans rights with climate justice is highlighted by the disproportionate impact of disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and Cyclone Harold in Fiji, on marginalized gender identities.
• Labor and community-led transitions are evidenced by the Iron & Earth organization in Canada, which unites oil workers and indigenous people, and the Orkney Islands in Scotland, which produces 120% of its energy needs from clean sources.
• The peace movement in the UK, specifically the Campaign Against Arms Trade, argues that shifting investment from the arms industry to offshore wind and marine energy would create more jobs and enhance real security.

APA

Team, Z. (2021). How connected social movements are making climate action more just and effective. Zero Carbon Analytics. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/policy/how-connected-social-movements-are-making-climate-action-more-just-and-effective/

Chicago

Team, ZCA. How connected social movements are making climate action more just and effective. Zero Carbon Analytics, 2021. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/policy/how-connected-social-movements-are-making-climate-action-more-just-and-effective/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Team |first1=ZCA |title=How connected social movements are making climate action more just and effective |publisher=Zero Carbon Analytics |date=18 May 2021 |url=https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/policy/how-connected-social-movements-are-making-climate-action-more-just-and-effective/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{team2021how, author = {Team, ZCA}, title = {{How connected social movements are making climate action more just and effective}}, institution = {Zero Carbon Analytics}, year = {2021}, month = may, url = {https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/policy/how-connected-social-movements-are-making-climate-action-more-just-and-effective/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }