Refugees, Migration Rights and Climate Justice

People have always moved, yet as the climate crisis worsens and the impacts on people in marginalised communities become more severe, more people are being forced to leave their homes. At the same time countries and corporations in the global north profit from the increased militarisation and proliferation of racist border policies.

The securitisation of the climate crisis – where border policies are cast as 'solution' to the effects of climate breakdown – prevents climate action. It threatens and dehumanises people who move, people who have typically done the least to cause this crisis.

Session 1:

We will explore the urgent need for climate action that is centred in justice, and the way in which this is connected to migration rights and the fight against violent border systems.

We will build towards an understanding of climate and migrant justice around two key principles:

1. The 'right to stay' – to defend communities globally from the impacts of climate change,

2. The 'right to move' – safely and with dignity, when staying is not possible or desirable.

We will discuss what this means for local communities and how we can take action together for climate and migrant justice.

Resources:

Resources and an online discussion forum will be provided for further information and reflection between sessions.

Session 2:

We will reconvene to reflect together and discuss any questions that may have arisen. We will also be joined by grassroots speakers who have lived experience of migration.

The aim of the course is to highlight the strength to be gained from bridging across struggles and realising how these issues impact and interact.

We will be focusing on what friends can do to stand in solidarity with those most impacted by the climate crisis and reflecting on how our testimonies to equality and truth lie at the heart of these issues.

The live Zoom sessions are at 19:00-21:00 (UK time) on Thursday 12 September and Thursday 3 October.