Climate Justice

"Climate change is happening now and to all of us. No country or community is immune. And, as is always the case, the poor and vulnerable are the first to suffer and the worst hit.”
Antonio Guiterres (UN Secretary General)

Our work on climate and environmental justice is built on the understanding that, “The impacts of climate change will not be borne equally or fairly, between rich and poor, women and men, and older and younger generations.” Climate change is not only an issue of environmental conservation, but also an issue of justice and human rights. While those most responsible for climate change are relatively insulated from its impacts, it is those who have contributed least that are likely to feel the effects most significantly. Various reports on who’s causing climate change, including one 2020 report co-published by Oxfam and the Stockholm Environment Institute, show that there is a gap between those who are most responsible for the climate crisis and those who are most burdened by it. According to the Oxfam/SEI study, between 1990 and 2015, the richest 1% of the global population caused twice as many carbon emissions as the poorest 50%. Critically, many people in that 50% group are part of MAPA (Most affected people and areas), the most affected people and areas when it comes to global warming <br>

Climate vulnerability depends not only on the impacts of climate change on a country or community but on their ability to deal with these impacts. Communities experiencing extreme poverty have the fewest resources and little capacity to adapt and therefore are the most vulnerable. Yet at the same time, communities who bear the brunt of the climate crisis are the ones most left out – their voices are not heard and they are absent from decision making processes on how to address this crisis.

Our climate and environmental justice work therefore will:

  • Lobby for progressive climate financing and paying for ‘Loss and Damage’ (climate reparations) 
  • Promote  climate education through the climate justice academy, advancement of indigenous knowledge on climate  issues and use of localized climate education materials. We will empower community-based organisations with photojournalism skills and support them with resources to capture and document the loss and damages experienced in their communities.  (Challenge the systemic exclusion of Global South thought leadership and indigenous practices in addressing the climate crisis by promoting and amplifying African thought leadership and indigenous knowledge)
  • Contribute to regional climate change research through sponsoring undergraduate Research Projects, dissemination and contributions towards climate policy.(Confront the gendered impact of the climate crisis, ensuring that gender equality is considered and mainstreamed in all climate interventions ). Our research platform will be centered on africa action, sustainability, inclusion and community-led solutions)
  • Advocate and increase awareness through influencing policy,  strengthen community voices and action as well as building youth led movements on climate issues. Advocacy including amplifying community voices to demand climate financing on Loss and Damage. (Amplify and centre community voices in the climate discourse and decision making spaces and processes)  
  • Lobby for a more independent climate insurance to communities most vulnerable to climatic shocks.

Our Programme initiatives

Art for Nthaka Yathu

Art4NthakaYathu (Art4OurLand) is a climate justice project that works to hold artistically engaging, educational, and discussion-based workshops with youth climate activists in Jali, Zomba. The intervention aimed at strengthening community resilience through building, nurturing and nourishing the capacities of youth champions for climate change and health.

Arts for Climate Action in Loss and Damage Phase II

Building on the foundational insights and achievements of Phase I, Art and Global Health Centre Africa (ArtGlo), in partnership with Churches Action in Relief and Development (CARD), Catholic Development Commission in Malawi (CADECOM), and supported by the Scottish International Aid Fund (SCIAF) through Trocaire, embarked on "Arts for Climate Action in Loss and Damage Phase II." This initiative aimed to address the extensive, yet often overlooked, non-economic loss and damage (NELD) resulting from human induced climate change.


Phase II was motivated by the urgent need to further explore impacts of NELD and raise awareness on the measures taken to address some of the devastating impacts using participatory arts approaches. The project sought to raise awareness on mental health detection and referral systems and reinforce community support for CARD and CADECOM’s initiatives, such as utilization of micro-grants, vocational training, and bamboo/tree planting.

Art for Climate Action in Loss and Damage Phase I

The three-month research project was aimed at understanding and documenting non-economic loss and damage (NELD) due to the impacts of climate change across the ten GVHs in Nsanje and Zomba. The project utilized the Communication for Development (C4D) approaches, including participatory arts performances, Photojournalism, and Umunthu circles. Existing community structures were at the center of research, community mobilization, performances, and documentation leading to the understanding of NELDs related to human functions, socio-cultural assets, and environmental assets.

Such structures included youth clubs, massroot organizations, and Drama clubs that showcased their findings in the targeted communities through performances, images, songs, and other forms of art. These were built on the lived experiences and further created a safe space for the wider community to open up about loss and damage. Through these engagements, it was revealed that climate change has fueled GBV; negatively impacted both mental and physical health; and led to the loss of cultural heritage among others.

Guiding principles and commitments