In time for the Global Day of Climate Justice this Saturday 6th November, we wanted to take the time to acknowledge the work being done from the ground up.

With COP not just as a gathering of global leaders, but as a moment to strengthen regional, national and International climate justice movements and build power from below for system change.

As COP26 Coalition put it, this is not just about 2 weeks in November 2021, it’s about the next months of escalation and organising, and the movement after COP26. How do we get on board with COP26 Coalition’s demands for a better world?

Firstly: Understanding the problem

"We are living through a period of multiple breaking points - from climate to covid to racism. We know that these crises not only overlap, but share the same cause. 

The climate crisis already means loss of lives, homes, livelihoods and ecosystems for indigenous communities and the poorest and most marginalised within countries, and across the world.While no one can escape the impacts of these crises, those who have done least to cause them suffer the most. 

Across the world, the poorest people and communities of colour are too often those bearing the brunt of the climate crisis. From coastal villages in Norfolk whose sea-defences are eroding faster than ever, to people living by the Niger Delta rivers blackened by oil spillage.” - COP26 Coalition

What we need to build:

🛠️ "Like the climate crisis, our economic and political system is human-made. This also means it can be remade. We need system change that comes from the ground up. ⁠

👯 To solve these problems, we have to solve them all together. Climate justice recognises that all of our struggles lead back to the same unjust system. ⁠ ⁠

🌳 Whether we are fighting for better pay at work, for clean water, or against police violence or the opening of a new mine. For control over our bodies or to stop the destruction of forests we live in. We need climate action that works for all of us, not just the people with the most money in their pocket. ⁠ ⁠

☁️ The solutions that we need already exist and are being practiced, but our leaders lack the political will to act. Our solutions not only reduce carbon emissions but create a fairer and more just world in the process – that means climate action based on justice, redistribution of resources and decentralisation of power. ⁠ ⁠

🥰 The crisis will not be solved if those most affected are not central to the solutions and decision-making. The impacts of the climate crisis vary across areas and communities. This means the best solutions for each area must be shaped by those who are experiencing the impacts. In many cases, indigenous and frontline communities have known the solutions for centuries. And afterall, we should all be able to participate in decisions that affect us."

The solutions

• Global temperature rise must be limited to 1.5°C.
• No new fossil fuel investments and infrastructure.
• Worker-led transition to a greener economy.
• Locally sourced food and goods.
• Green, affordable housing and public transport.
• Cancel the debts of the global south.
• Provide grants to those on the frontline.
• Fair carbon reductions for each country.
• Reparations for damage to affected global south communities.

Where we belong in this

It's important to stay motivated, and remember that change is possible, and that systems are changeable. As a small brand with campaigners at its founding core, we've been championing workers' rights, the just transition to a green economy, and locally made goods since day one.

We all have our place in the fight against climate crisis. Keep meeting up with similar minded people, spread conversations with those who think differently. Remain positive and ask brands, governments and corporations to be held accountable. Learn from those at the sharp end of environmental damage. Climate justice. Systems change. Power from below.