The Palestinian struggle is at the center of all colonisation projects and climate injustices happening in West Asia.
Colonisation forcefully removes land rights from Indigenous communities, deprives them from natural resources, and destroys indigenous biodiversity and cultural connection with nature, all while purposefully polluting and harming nature and the climate. It stands against the holistic relationship between humans and nature.
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“There is no other scenario than ending occupation to achieve climate justice in Palestine.”
Episode overview
With youth guest Suha Jarrar, from Al-Haq organisation in Palestine.
Though the implications of colonisation on Indigenous People and climate are not unique to Palestine, this episode aims to highlight the nuances and intersections of Palestinian freedom and climate justice at this time. It delves into the struggles of Indigenous communities in their fight for social and climate justice and displays the interlinkages between them. We discussed the Palestinian crisis and its relation to Palestinian land rights and resource acquisition. Through Suha’s personal experience with the occupation, we identified that climate movements that deem colonisation as a sensitive and neutral topic are greenwashing and are doomed to fail long-term
Key Takeaways
Ending occupation is central to achieving climate justice
Colonisation not only takes away the freedom of Indigenous people but also their resources, traditions, and relationship with nature
The Palestinian climate movement calls for adaptation to climate change
Palestinian climate activists are human-rights advocates
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Additional Resources
Al-Haq organisation
Climate change in Palestinian:
Papers authored by Suha Jarrar:
Support Palestinian initiatives:
Zaitoun (Olives)
Friends of the Earth - Palestine
Learn about the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
MORE ABOUT THIS EPISODE
EPISODE QUESTIONS
Quick questions with quick responses (What did our guests choose?)
Isolationism vs integrationism?
Is cultural justice part of climate justice?
Name one thing you lost due to occupation?
From 1-10 how much would you rate international solidarity with Palestine?
Discussion questions
Give a quick overview of land and resource inequality in Palestine
How are the social, economic, and environmental conditions of colonised Palestinian youth different from those in the Western World?
Climate movements in Palestine: Do they call for the same justices as in Western countries? What is their focus? How can they be supported?
How are suppressive actions against traditional socio-ecological practices in Palestine related to climate injustice?
Guest Bio
Suha Jarrar is a senior research and advocacy officer at Al-Haq, an independent Palestinian non-governmental human rights organisation. She is a expert on gender, environment, and climate justice in the context of occupation and human rights violations against the Palestinian people.