ABSTRACT
While climate justice manifests differently across diverse contexts and communities, its core principles - distributive justice, procedural justice, and recognition of diversity - provide a unifying framework. A critical knowledge gap regarding these diverse perspectives intensifies the disproportionate climate burdens borne by marginalised communities, demanding urgent, context-specific interventions. To address this evolving understanding of climate justice, it is essential to prioritise underrepresented voices by documenting unique knowledge systems and practices. This documentation will empower the development of more equitable and effective climate policies and strategies. This call for action makes the Global South a critical focus for region-specific knowledge on climate justice for developing effective and equitable solutions. Therefore, the chapter focuses on shaping research on climate justice in the Global South and highlights the pressing need to document the unique knowledge systems and practices of Global South communities, developed through experiential learning, and their role in governance - before they are lost. Traditional knowledge, acquired through experiential learning of ecology and society, offers a critical lens on climate justice and sustainable development. Recognised as a vital nature-based solution, it significantly contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals related to water security and climate action. Tribal communities, deeply valuing their traditional knowledge systems for flood resilience, express concern over its increasing erosion and potential loss.
This chapter synthesises key learnings from narratives gathered across two research initiatives that revolve around experiential learning. First is the UKRI-supported Climate-U project (2021-23), focused on university transformation for a changing climate. Second is the International River Foundation’s Vera Thiess Fellowship (2016-2017), which explored women’s lived experiences of flood adaptation along the Brahmaputra. The narrative approach was used to go beyond numbers and provide nuanced insights into long-term experiential learning.
By examining key climate justice priorities in the Global South, illustrated through regional case studies, this work reveals the critical importance of overcoming language barriers. Recognising that formal education is often conducted in English, it emphasises the necessity of regional languages for accessing and fully understanding rich, context-specific knowledge. Further, the emphasis is on incorporating validated local traditional knowledge into education and positioning experiential learning as an integral part of developing the ability to learn through research and community engagement. Moreover, these knowledge systems are built on environmental consciousness, and some of the prominent structural adaptation measures are being scaled up through policy provisions. In contrast, non-structural measures, primarily associated with the experiential knowledge of women, have not received the same kind of policy recognition. Civil society organisations and higher education institutions play a crucial role in bridging this gap by identifying and translating women’s knowledge into actionable measures for policymakers, facilitating both consideration and scalability. Key conclusions reflect that climate justice hinges on understanding vulnerable voices, necessitating qualitative research. Reimagining higher education on climate justice is vital to accelerate research and youth-led action for sustainability. Thus, education on climate justice is a critical driver of inclusion and equality.
