Essentially, climate justice means attempting to ensure that people and the environment are treated fairly in the ways in which we: a) try to mitigate further climate change, such as by reducing the number of fossil fuels we burn to generate energy; and b) adapt to the climate changes we have caused, such as by developing drought-resistant crops in areas where rainfall levels have decreased as a result of climate change.
Climate Justice connects human rights and development to produce a human-centered approach that protects the rights of the most vulnerable while equitably and fairly sharing the costs and benefits of climate change and its resolution. Climate justice is based on science, responds to science, and recognizes the need for equitable resource stewardship. California is one of the most developed states in the U.S. It should dedicate itself to action that is informed by the following basic principles that it has developed in order to realize its vision of a world engaged in the delivery of climate justice through its mission.
I think California should pay more attention to the issue of climate justice. Human rights are a concept that guides societies toward internationally agreed-upon values that can be discussed and then implemented. Human rights yardsticks provide useful, legally defined minimum benchmarks on which there is broad agreement. The preservation of fundamental rights built-in respect for human dignity, which is at the heart of this approach, makes it an unavoidable foundation for climate justice action.