A Lexicon on Climate Justice

Climate change has a disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities – notes A Lexicon on Climate Justice, published by Justice Adda, a digital initiative working on law and human rights. The concept of ‘climate justice’ alters the terms of climate-related discourse from a scientific to a socio-economic and rights-based perspective.This lexicon presents 61 crucial concepts related to climate justice. It was published in August 2021 along with the Mumbai-based India Climate Collaborative and EdelGive Foundation – both of which work closely on climate-related issues. Its authors are Germany-based researcher Eklavya Vasudev, along with Nithya Kochuparampil and Siddharth de Souza of Justice Adda.Organised alphabetically, the lexicon animates key concepts with the help of infographics, and explains their relevance through examples. For instance, the section on Adivasi rights discusses the case of anti-mining protests led by the Dongria Kondh community – a Scheduled Tribe – in the Niyamgiri hills of Odisha. This 293-page document contains the lexicon in English as well as Hindi.The following are excerpts from 16 of the 61 definitions, which are especially relevant to present times:Adaptation: Adaptation refers to human interventions that minimize the impact of climate change on human beings and the planet. An example of climate adaptation is designing disaster-resilient infrastructure which reduces the likelihood of damage to human beings from extreme weather events like floods, storms, heat waves, and others.Adivasi rights: Adivasi rights include the ability of tribal communities to maintain and protect their connection with their land and livelihoods. This symbiotic relationship is under threat due to developmental activities, primarily through deforestation, mining for minerals and natural resource extraction.Biodiversity: Biodiversity refers to the diversity of species, including plants, animals, and microorganisms, on our planet...