People’s action for climate justice: a systematic review

Abstract

Increasing recognition of the multi-faceted injustices of climate change has led to growing interest in the actions people can take to advance climate justice (CJ). Yet, within the empirical literature on climate change action by everyday people, limited research has considered climate justice as a framework for action. To explore the current state of the literature on this critical topic, this systematic review examined 74 peer-reviewed articles (2008–2020) focused on CJ action. Within this rapidly-growing literature, we found that–in contrast to traditional definitions of action, which often emphasize individual behavioural shifts with consequences for the environment–people’s involvement in CJ action was largely framed as a collective pursuit with consequences for humanity. Moreover, in this multidisciplinary literature with data collected across 69 countries, CJ action was employed by children, youth, adults, and elders in diverse forms–from activism (e.g. protests) to community-based initiatives (e.g. restoration projects)–aimed at systemic change to prevent future climate-driven harms.