Seeking climate justice in Myanmar

Abstract

Myanmar’s climate vulnerability intersects with conflict-related violence, creating differentiated impacts on marginalized communities. This perspective calls for extending climate justice as praxis in advancing climate action in and for Myanmar. The argument is built on three key observations: the ways differentiated climate vulnerability is shaped by conflict-related and structural violence; the global push for a so-called “green” transition that has resulted in environmental and social injustices in Myanmar; and the potential convergence of the climate justice movement and political resistance to address structural inequality and the drivers of injustice. Fossil-fuel-funded violence and rapidly expanding rare earth mining are presented as illustrations of how climate action, structural inequalities, and social justice are interconnected. These observations challenge the tendency to approach climate change as a purely techno-managerial issue and inform future interventions and research on climate change. The perspective concludes with reflections on potential ways forward, including entry points for engagement and the risks involved.