Climate justice and anti-racism
In the summer of 2024, a wave of far-right riots swept across the UK, with shocking hatred, intimidation and violence directed towards people of colour, Muslims and refugees. It was a horrific reminder that racism is still rife to this day.
From the disproportionate use of police stops on black people, including athletes and MPs, to the murder of George Floyd in 2020, just one of many black people killed by white police officers, to the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers in countries across the globe – the injustice of systemic racism resonates not just in the UK, but around the whole world.
The climate movement and racism
If change is to happen and equality achieved, all individuals and organisations must consider how they've contributed to systemic racism and become actively anti-racist. In other words, get vocal in their opposition to racism.
That includes us. While we've always fought to protect both people and planet, we need to maximise our power as a campaigning force to be a better allies to people of colour. That means recognising the uncomfortable truth that the UK’s climate movement is still overwhelmingly white and middle-class. It means listening more deeply to underrepresented voices, being honest about where we’ve got things wrong in the past and humble about how much we still need to learn. In order to learn we need to connect with and follow of the lead of those most impacted.
In October 2024, Friends of the Earth co-hosted a packed-out parliamentary meeting with Muslim Aid and MP Afzal Khan on the Muslim community and the climate conversation in the run up to COP29.
It was a packed-out event which brought together 70+ attendees ranging from representatives of the Sudan and Azerbaijan embassies, to interns in governmental departments, corporate sector employees, to grassroots green Muslim organisations and students.
Friends of the Earth's political affairs lead, Abdi Suleiman, spoke about countries on the frontlines of the climate crisis, where many in the room have family and connections. These nations have done the least to cause climate change but are being hardest hit by its impacts. We shared a powerful video from our sister group PENGON, Friends of the Earth Palestine, who lost members to Israel's ongoing military action which outlined that environmental injustices are escalating alongside the humanitarian crisis in Palestine.
Other speakers highlighted the knowledge in Muslim communities on how to tackle environmental challenges, and the need to create welcoming spaces for discussion, including in parliament and at climate summits like COP.
Engaging people of all faiths and none is critical to effectively tackling climate breakdown. Friends of the Earth will continue to champion initiatives that engage communities, challenge Islamophobia and all bigotry, and bring together communities in decision-making spaces.
It also means showing that the struggles for equality and justice are interlinked. In the UK, people of colour suffer most from the lack of green space in our towns and cities, and from worse air pollution. And globally, it’s people in poorer countries like Bangladesh and Mozambique who fall victim to extreme weather patterns and other damage caused by climate breakdown, despite having contributed least to these problems.
Anti-racism at Friends of the Earth
We must make sure diversity and inclusivity are at our core. We’ve got a long road ahead of us, but we’re taking our first steps to becoming actively anti-racist. They include:
- Partnering with organisations led by people of colour.
- A refreshed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan.
- Webinars on building a diverse and inclusive network for our grassroots network.
- Reviewing our spokespeople and taking action to support and empower a diverse network of people to speak on environmental issues.
- Speaking on panels that are diverse and avoiding all-white and all-male panels.
- Taking part in demonstrations such as the Stand Up to Racism march on 26 October.
Equality and fairness aren't just "nice-to-haves" – they’re key to solving shared global problems. Working together with a diverse range of people will help us build better solutions for a better world. We need all our supporters, and the wider network, to call out racism where they see it and help us build a more inclusive, diverse environmental movement.
Recommended reading
If you’re unsure where to start, we’d recommend reading or listening to the following material (which can be found online):
- How to be an antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi
- Conservation refugees, by Mark Dowie
- Understanding white privilege, with Reni Eddo-Lodge.
