Climate Justice Initiative
The Climate Justice Initiative is an EDGE program that builds on EDGE’s continued commitment to organize funders and work with movements toward building a society that supports justice, equity and the well-being of the planet. Climate change and environmental degradation are continuing to impact people differently along the lines of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, origin and homeland, economic and social status, with the majority of the world’s populations being the hardest hit. Civil society organizations, networks and formal and informal groups working toward climate justice need more and better resourcing for their life- and planet-saving work. Progressive, accountable philanthropies – EDGE members and beyond – have the opportunity to take actions today to support and fund this crucial work that these organizations and movements are doing.
Objectives:
- LEARNING – To build joint knowledge and understanding about climate justice work, policies and frameworks from a progressive perspective as well as sharing information and enabling organization around COP27 and other spaces for influencing and mobilizing on climate justice’
- COMMUNITY – To create a joint funder/movement peer network around climate justice that meets year-round
- BUILDING COLLECTIVE POWER – To join forces and identify opportunities for organizing, collective action and better resourcing of climate justice work
- BUILDING INFLUENCE & WINNING THE NARRATIVE – Shifting narrative and amplifying shared progressive analysis within wider philanthropic and social movement landscapes
Initiative Co-Chairs
The Climate Justice Initiative agendas and focuses for 2024 will be shaped by the following co-chairs composed of members and movement partners. One of EDGE’s core focus is working with movements. That is why, initiatives have two co-chairs, one representing funders and another representing movements, to help guide the agenda-setting, serve as a sounding board for the EDGE secretariat and co-facilitate co-creation meetings. Co-chairs also host in-person gatherings and delegations to key meetings and conferences. They also take a lead in bi-annual intersectionality meetings aimed at ensuring all thematic programs at EDGE are in conversation to build collective systemic change narratives.
For this year, Angela Martinez from Amazon Watch and kyeretwie opoku from People’s Support Foundation will be the funder representative. Edwin Mumbere from Centre for Citizens Conserving Environment & Management (CECIC) and Asad Rehman from War on Want will represent movements.
Get Involved
Knowledge exchange on climate justice through initiative meetings
These meetings seek to deepen narratives on the intersectional aspects of Climate Justice work and clarify philanthropy’s responsibility towards the diversity of organizations and movements that work on climate justice, beyond programmatic silos. Participation is open to funders (EDGE members and contributing non-members), movements, and fellow networks.
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Beyond 2%: From climate philanthropy to climate justice philanthropy
In early 2022 and in partnership with the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), the EDGE Funders Alliance is launching a report on climate philanthropy that takes a fresh look at the state of play in the sector, and sets out the case for grounding climate philanthropy in climate justice and just transition principles.
Geoengineering Resources Booklet
The Geoengineering resource booklet has been developed by EDGE Funders Alliance Climate Justice Initiative Participants: HOME Alliance, ETC Group and CS Fund.
Edits to this document are ongoing and will be updated as more research and relevant resources emerge.
Sample Resources
- The Big Con: How Big Polluters are advancing a “net zero” climate agenda to delay, deceive, and deny
- Philanthropy′s Role
- History of Climate Philanthropy
- Climate Elites
- EDGE Intersectional Justice Library
- Key Recordings
This report by Corporate Responsibility makes clear that Big Polluters’ idea of “net zero” is part of their continued plan to protect deeply unjust global systems, distract from taking the real action needed, and to evade responsibility for the climate crisis and to continue to pollute. Read report here.
A reflection by Edouard Morena on the role of philanthropy in fighting climate change. Read it here.
Drawing on archival material from the Rockefeller Archive Center, this report looks at how philanthropic foundations’ early involvement in the international climate debate was affected by domestic issues in the United States. Read it here.
The US magazine Public Books and the French magazine La Vie des Idées offer a collaborative series of articles examining the intersection of climate change and capitalism. Start reading here.
