Climate Justice: A Man-Made Problem With a Feminist Solution

by Mary Robinson

An urgent call to arms by one of the most important voices in the international fight against climate change, sharing inspiring stories and offering vital lessons for the path forward.
Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson's mission to bring together the fight against climate change and the global struggle for human rights has taken her all over the world. It also brought her to a heartening revelation: that that an irrepressible driving force in the battle for climate justice could be found at the grassroots level, mainly among women, many of them mothers and grandmothers like herself. Robinson met with ordinary people whose resilience and ingenuity had already unlocked extraordinary change: from a Mississippi matriarch whose campaign began in her East Biloxi hair salon and culminated in her speaking at the United Nations, to a farmer who transformed the fortunes of her ailing community in rural Uganda.
In Climate Justice, she shares their stories, and many more. Powerful and deeply humane, this uplifting book is a stirring manifesto on one of the most pressing humanitarian issues of our time, and a lucid, affirmative, and well-argued case for hope.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Politics, Climate Change, Environment, Sustainability

162 pages, Unknown Binding

Published January 1, 2021

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Mary Therese Winifred Robinson (née Bourke; Irish: Máire Bean Mhic Róibín) served as the seventh, and first female, President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, from 1997 to 2002.

Reviews

[Shelby · Rating 3 out of 5]

a little overly simplistic for anyone w any background knowledge of climate but the stories were very heartwarming and SO important nonetheless

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

I really enjoyed this book. I think it was successful in laying out a lot of the consequences of global warming in an easily digestible way. It outlined quite a few simple ways that everyday people can lower their carbon footprints.

This is a good book for people who maybe don’t know a lot about what is currently happening to our world. It was short, it wasn’t too dense and included a lot of great anecdotes from people at the front line being affected the most by global warming.

Personally, I’d like to do a lot more in my personal life to try and save our planet. It won’t be a lot but this book puts a lot of stress on how if we all come together and do our part, we may be able to help our futures. This is a really optimistic take, I think we need a bit of that in our lives.

[Dhyani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took quite some time to actually get through the entire book. It is a book written as a compilation of shorter excerpts of resilience at the very ground level as well as how their impact has been recognised over a course of time. A very inspiring read that emphasises the importance of communities and their knowledge and efforts.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe 3.75. Inspiring but not developed and maybe a little too optimistic/ simplistic? But important messaging on actually listening, responding and focusing attention to the communities and countries on the front lines of the climate crisis.

[Josie Millman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting insight into people’s( mostly women’s) life’s who are facing climate injustice! Some really inspiring stories!!

[Jam Angulo-Paniagua · Rating 5 out of 5]

The climate crisis disportionally afects women. Yet, as Mary Robinson shows in this book, they are leading forces in the fight to mitigate the effects of climate change. In this book, Robison gathers stories from grassroot women from all around the world, who are climate change witnesses. These are women in the front row of climate action, bringing justice to their communities, which contribute the least to the global emissions, yet are affected the most by the consequences of climate change.

The climate crisis is already here, it affects the most vulnerable, and it sometimes seems like they are the only ones fighting for themselves. With this book Mary Robinson sends a clear message: people should be the center of every climate change discusion.

[Lotta Yli-Hukkala · Rating 4 out of 5]

A re-read, not that I'd remember anything from the first time I read this one (I believe I read it as I was reading for my A-levels, so I guess I just tried to remember everything else I was reading at the time). I was expecting more feminism and didn't remember it to be so personal, but enjoyed it anyway.

[Gem · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thought provoking and necessary read.

[Katie Elias · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartwarming stories from different perspectives on climate change

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful fresh perspective on how many of the solutions to climate change are inately feminist. The exploration of many of these way to combat climate change and it's effects are done through the stories of various individuals Robinson encountered which gives the book a very down to earth and intimate feel despite it's heavy handed topic. Overall a thoroughly enjoyable and positive dive into the greatest challenge faced by us.

[pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

so many great perspectives & is really motivating me to make individual changes to my lifestyle.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Several inspiring stories, but the angle (especially focus on individual behavior) feels quite dated after 5 years.

[Tim Lucas · Rating 2 out of 5]

dnf

[Amy Lowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories about the women tackling climate change in challenging circumstances were inspiring but very simplistic outlook on climate change and struggled to finish as felt very repetitive.

[Guillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book highlights the significant role of climate justice amid the move toward decarbonization and energy transition. She is right to point out that climate change should be treated as a human rights issue due to the increasing number of climate refugees that were displaced by the harsh environmental changes.

Leaving no one behind is one of the salient chapters of the book. It points out that the race to net zero emissions should be based on just transition as decommissioned workers could be left without jobs and sufficient assistance to help them find new livelihoods.