Tackling Climate Justice with Dr. Elizabeth Cripps

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Facing climate change can feel overwhelming, especially when it’s connected to so many other social justice issues. That’s why we brought Amanda Lenghan, Head of Social Impact at Cruise, an all-electric, autonomous vehicle company, to discuss climate justice with Dr. Elizabeth Cripps. Dr. Cripps is a moral philosopher, professor, and author of What Climate Justice Means and Why We Should Care. 

As a bonus, Pledge 1% members will receive a 30% discount on Elizabeth’s books by using the code “PLEDGE” at checkout. You can purchase your copy today at: https://bit.ly/pledge1discount

Takeaway #1: Climate Justice is Intersectional

Cripps defines the concept of justice as “not doing harm to other human beings.” Unfortunately, the effects of climate change disproportionately harm people who are already vulnerable. People who live in the Global South, women, marginalized communities, people of color, people with disabilities, and people with non-heteronormative gender or sexual identities already face less access to resources, higher discrimination, and lower agency. If a person is a member of multiple groups, such as a queer woman in the Global South, the effects are usually even harsher.

How can we help?

Effective climate action should go beyond purely environmental concerns and embrace a wider concept of justice. Cripps gives an example of a company building solar panels on a Native American reservation. Sure, the company’s overall carbon footprint may be reduced, but if the groups affected aren’t consulted, then the action could do additional harm. To avoid these situations, Cripps recommends the process of participatory decision making. In this process, groups that are most affected by climate change have a substantial voice in how the issue is addressed.  

Takeaway #2: The Power of “We” Trumps Individual Efforts

What does Dr. Cripps see as the most effective way to enact change? Group up!

We’ve heard this advice before. In our meeting around how Twilio, Airbnb.org, and Unity are addressing the Ukraine crisis, Sean Nicholson, Executive Director of External Relationships at the Norwegian Resource Center, echoed this advice:

As organizations, companies already have massive amounts of collective power. Between employees, stakeholders, and even the wider industry ecosystem, businesses are uniquely positioned to do good collectively. 

While bureaucracy can sometimes stall action,  Amanda Lenghan, Head of Social Impact at Cruise, all-electric, autonomous vehicle company, shares her wisdom for making progress:

Turning individual motivation into collective power can make a difference.

Takeaway #3: Avoid Despair with Action, Especially Collective Action

As a moral philosopher and academic tackling climate change and climate justice, people often ask Dr. Cripps how to avoid falling into despair. But Cripps challenges us to avoid this trap.  

One of the best ways to combat climate anxiety is with action. “I gain hope by working on this issue myself,” Dr. Cripps explains, and with others that inspire her. In her next book on parenting and climate change, she recommends that parents partner climate change education with actionable steps, such as going to climate change marches.

Act Now: Immediate Next Steps Businesses Can Take

Here are concrete next steps that your business can take immediately.

• Enlist your ecosystem:  Think of how you can enlist your employees, suppliers, and ecosystem to enact change. Read how Twilio, Airbnb, and Unity leveraged their ecosystems for good for the Ukraine crisis.
  
  

• Strive for net-zero carbon emissions: Lower emissions can mitigate the effects of climate change

• Bring all stakeholders to the table and embrace participatory decision-making: People most affected by climate change need a seat at the table. Read how Zoom enacted a participatory decision-making mindset with their grant pilot.
  

• Merge your climate actions with other social justice initiatives: Climate change is intersectional. Be sure that your climate team works closely with any other social impact team members. If possible, consider merging these efforts and/or roles.
  
  

Sneak Peek: Dr. Cripps’ Next Book on Climate Change and Parenting

Dr. Cripps' next book, The Last Parents on Earth: Raising Kids in a Time of Crisis, will be published by MIT Press in Spring 2023 (follow @ebcripps on Twitter for updates). In this book, she addresses…

• The ethical responsibilities we have to the next generation
• How current parents can raise their children to be climate-conscious, not climate-anxious
• The ways prospective parents can navigate the decision on whether or not to have children in light of climate change
• How society can adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change by the way it treats parents and prospective parents

Additional Resources

• Case Studies: What’s Currently Working for Collective Corporate Action
• Zoom’s participatory decision-making mindset to racial justice
• Twilio, Airbnb, and Unity’s collective action approach to the Ukraine crisis
   
• Pledge 1%’s Climate Change Playbook (must be a Pledge 1%  member to access)

• How to Talk to Your Kids About Climate Change by Harriet Sugarman (book)
  
  
• Racial Disparities and Climate Change (a short and broad overview from Princeton University)
  
  

Environmental Justice Timeline by the US Environmental Protection Agency (a graphic that explores the history of environmental justice’s connection with the Civil Rights’ Movement and other intersectional events)