Towards Environmental Justice:: A Comparative Analysis of Climate Change Resilience Strategies in Cities of the Global South and Global North

In light of intensifying climate change, cities face the task of adapting to climate change impacts and mitigating climate change, as more than half of the world’s population live in urban areas. Drafting climate resilience strategies, it is important to consider environmental justice to ensure that no one is left behind, and all citizens have the equal right and possibility to live in a just and sustainable way. So far, research has barely considered the difference of how and whether cities in the Global North advance urban environmental justice, compared to the Global South. This global comparison is important as it enables mutual learning from cities that face the task of adapting to climate change impacts worldwide. This comparative research focuses on Jakarta in the Global South and Miami in the Global North, seeking to investigate how urban environmental justice is advanced in their climate resilience strategies. Findings show that Miami’s strategies pay significantly more...Show moreIn light of intensifying climate change, cities face the task of adapting to climate change impacts and mitigating climate change, as more than half of the world’s population live in urban areas. Drafting climate resilience strategies, it is important to consider environmental justice to ensure that no one is left behind, and all citizens have the equal right and possibility to live in a just and sustainable way. So far, research has barely considered the difference of how and whether cities in the Global North advance urban environmental justice, compared to the Global South. This global comparison is important as it enables mutual learning from cities that face the task of adapting to climate change impacts worldwide. This comparative research focuses on Jakarta in the Global South and Miami in the Global North, seeking to investigate how urban environmental justice is advanced in their climate resilience strategies. Findings show that Miami’s strategies pay significantly more attention to recognitional justice. On the other two justice dimensions - procedural and distributive justice - smaller differences were found. All in all, it can be said that Miami’s strategies include more detailed and comprehensive accounts of environmental justice. These findings can be partly attributed to the unique characteristics of both cities, which is why it is difficult to generalize from these two cases to differences in regard to Global North/South. Further research should look at more cases to be able to make a clearer statement about the differences of Global North/ Global South differentiation. Additionally, it could be investigated to what extent these climate resilience strategies are backed with action.Show less

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Towards Environmental Justice: A Comparative Analysis of Climate Change Resilience Strategies in Cities of the Global South and Global North