Feminist Organizing for Climate Justice in the Caribbean

Caribbean nations are already experiencing the impacts of climate change, and are at risk of greater and more severe impacts, despite the fact that they (like other small island nations, including those in the Pacific) are one of the lowest contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate change in the Caribbean will impact water availability, lead to coastal erosion and sea level rise, and put marine resources at risk. And we know that the climate crisis intersects with other gender and human rights crises. In the Caribbean, movement leaders have pointed to the connection between climate change and worsening health outcomes in the region, including around mental health, and especially affecting children and young people. In the aftermath of climate disasters such as hurricanes, women’s vulnerability to gender-based violence increases, as does economic reliance on men. Beyond acute disasters, the changing Caribbean climate is affecting the daily livelihoods of women and gender-diverse people, serving as a multiplier for existing inequities. Supporting an emerging feminist climate justice movement in the Caribbean is a vital strategy to supporting gender justice in the region and across the globe.