Community leaders and climate justice advocates have touched down in Sint Maarten, the location for this year’s Climate Justice Camp Caribbean, led by Roots, with the support of more than 20 local and international organisations (including Climate Tracker 🤗).
The event is expected to see participation of 120 individuals from 25 countries in the region come together between March 28th – 31st to engage in a variety of workshops and skill-building sessions designed to build cross-sectional and cross-border relationships, networks, and alliances within the Caribbean climate movement; to build capacity and communities of practice that can remain connected following the camp; and to co-create cross-border strategies, tactics, narratives and symbology as a
demonstration of solidarity.
First held in 2022, the Climate Justice Camp is a global annual event centred on the intersection between climate and social justice and over the past two years, this event has brought together almost 1,000 young participants from more than 100 countries across the Global South, leading to new climate initiatives around the world.
With a focus on 4 main tracks – energy transition, marine conservation, gender and climate, and adaptation and resilience – the camp is the first of its kind in the region and will include skill-building sessions on human rights and climate change, climate communications, the science of storytelling, climate and mental health, restorative justice, making climate matter to the local community, proposal writing, and so much more.
Having supported close to 50 journalists across the region in the past two years through our Caribbean Climate Justice Journalism Fellowship, we are excited to connect with all the participants in this much-needed initiative and be inspired for further collaboration and storytelling with an emphasis on the Caribbean narrative. We consider this regional event a crucial platform to continue advocating for a just and equitable response to the climate crisis.
The Caribbean continues to be faced with unprecedented social, health, and economic challenges as the climate crisis worsens. Heat waves, flooding, prolonged droughts, and other extreme weather events continue to adversely affect our lives and livelihoods and justice is what is needed.
Our Fellows have published stories highlighting the impacts of climate change on agriculture, women and children, people with disabilities, tourism, indigenous peoples, and more. Their stories have also placed priority on the need for urgent climate action backed up by climate finance.
Climate Tracker’s Dizzanne Billy is on the ground in beautiful Sint Maarten and will lead a training session on effective climate communication in the Caribbean context, as we strongly believe that media plays a crucial role in empowering the public to hold policymakers and businesses accountable.
To quote Christine Samwaroo, an intersectional and climate feminist based in Guyana and Founder and Managing Director of gender and environmental justice organization The Breadfruit Collective, one of the camp partners (and also a Climate Tracker Fellowship alum) – “Intersectional climate justice action is urgently needed in the Caribbean. Most of our countries are newly independent with small economies, and weak infrastructure and we are still facing the lasting effects of a violent colonial past. Added to our vulnerabilities are the realities of the climate crisis tied to social injustices. The Caribbean is often left out of the climate justice conversation despite being at the forefront of climate-induced disasters. It is overdue for centering grassroots Caribbean voices and listening to our realities and the solutions that are possible for our unique context.”
By centering these voices and listening to the realities and solutions proposed by local communities, we can work towards more effective and inclusive climate policies and initiatives. Empowering Caribbean communities to take an active role in shaping their future not only builds resilience but also fosters a sense of ownership and agency in the fight against climate change. It’s time to prioritise localised solutions that address the specific challenges faced by the Caribbean, while also acknowledging and rectifying the historical injustices that continue to shape its landscape.
So stay tuned for the launch of the recruitment for 3rd cycle of our Caribbean Climate Justice Journalism Fellowship, coming very soon!
