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Podcast: Reframing climate and environmental justice

Published on 5 June 2023

Questions of justice are relevant to all aspects of climate and environmental change, from how and where the impacts are felt the most, the allocation and prioritisation of funding, the type of responses that are considered, to how negative impacts can arise from mitigation, adaptation, or restoration policies. Justice dimensions of these range from who gets what, whose knowledge counts, who gets to decide, and ultimately who gets left behind.

In this episode of the IDS Between the Lines podcast – and to celebrate World Environment Day – Guardian environment correspondent Damien Gayle interviews IDS Research Fellows Lars Otto Naess and Amber Huff. In the interview Damien talks to Lars and Amber about their recent IDS Bulletin ‘Reframing Climate and Environmental Justice’ which explores the ‘blind spots’ in dominant mainstream approaches to climate and environmental justice.

They argue that approaches share a tendency to place growth, not ecology, nor climate, and certainly not justice, at the heart of the international policy agenda.

This podcast is essential listening for all of those studying and working on environmental and climate concerns.

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About the interviewer

Damien Gayle is an environment correspondent for The Guardian. He covers climate action across Europe and beyond and has nearly a decade’s journalism experience with national newspapers and magazines, online and in print.

About the interviewees

Dr Amber Huff is a social anthropologist and political ecologist. She is a Research Fellow at the IDS where she is a member of the Resource Politics Cluster and leads the recently launched Centre for future natures. Her recent and ongoing research investigates relationships among environmental policy change and wellbeing at the political and geographic margins, examines the role of land and investment reforms in exacerbating conservation and mining-related conflicts, and considers how dominant discourses of scarcity and security are increasingly entangled with both scientific framings of environmental change and sustainable development policy.

Dr Lars Otto Naess is a social scientist with more than 15 years’ experience with climate change, development and agriculture. A research fellow at IDS, his research interests include social and institutional dimensions of adaptation to climate change, policy processes on climate change and agriculture at national and sub-national levels, the role of local knowledge for adaptation to climate change, and adaptation planning in the context of international development. Much of his recent work has focused on Africa, in particular Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi and Ethiopia.

About the Between the Lines podcast

This podcast series explores ground-breaking ideas in development for positive social and environmental change. Each month we feature an interview with an expert in international development who will talk about their latest research and ideas.

Episodes content could feature authors of new books, IDS research or interviews with special guest stars.

The discussions give an insight on the themes covered, exploring the challenges and discoveries, and why the issues matter for progressive and sustainable development globally.

Send your comments and episode suggestions to [email protected]

Key contacts

Gary Edwards

Senior Marketing and Data Protection Officer

g.edwards@ids.ac.uk

+ 44 (0)1273 915637

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