Why We Need Intersectional Environmentalism
Something we do not talk about enough as environmentalists is intersectionality. But, perhaps you’ve been confused before when I or other activists talk about voting or race or lgbtq rights or something else. What does that have to do with the planet? EVERYTHING!
What is intersectionality?
According to Oxford Languages, it is “the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.”
It explains that while women face discrimination and that black people face discrimination, but when those two identities intersect, it’s a unique form of discrimination that black women face that white women nor black men could comprehend. That’s just one example. Other intersections include wealth, sexuality, gender identity, religion, upbringing, education, disability, and things of that nature.
If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend you check out The Intersectional Environmentalist by Leah Thomas. Leah takes us through these different intersections and how they play into becoming an inclusive environmentalist. We read it for my Eco Book Club in January and we all learned so much about being activists!
What is intersectional environmentalism?
I’ll let Leah describe it herself: “Intersectional environmentalism is an inclusive version of environmentalism that advocates for both the protection of people and the planet.”
This means a few things:
We need to listen to the voices of those who are not heard as often including (but not limited to) people of color, indigenous peoples, disabled people, queer people, women and femmes, and more. There has been good progress here in recent years. Climate spaces used to be primarily dominated by white men, especially in politics. But more women are getting involved and there is a higher desire to listen to the original stewards of these lands, those who are indigenous.
We need to look outside our own worldview and practice empathy. I’ll relate this to my own environmental origin story. I grew up in white, rural, middle-class Ohio. I didn’t see the results of climate change, therefore it didn’t affect me, therefore, I didn’t care. It wasn’t until I moved out of Ohio, and started to see the real world with my own eyes. I was still relatively safe from the impacts of climate change as a straight-passing, white woman with a decent socioeconomic status. But, I started to learn empathy and became educated on these issues. No, I do not know what it’s like to be poor or black or indigenous, but I can empathize with those experiences. I can care about them not because they affect me but because they affect another human.
Intersectionality opens our hearts and our minds to more issues than just what impacts us. It creates a spark in us to fight for all injustice because it’s all connected.
We need everyone
Leah says it best: “The earth and its ecosystems thrive on diversity and so does climate action.”
We need biodiversity for our planet to survive and we need diverse voices and opinons and experiences in the climate movement for our movement to survive and thrive.
Not only that, but we also need the general public to see people like themselves in the movement. In a movement that is dominated by straight, white men, why would a queer person or a person of color or a woman care about that movement? If someone from the general public sees a queer climate activist, they may then see a place for themselves in the movement. If a disabled person sees a disabled climate activist, they may now see themselves getting involved, too.
Representation matters in two ways: it fosters empathy with those who are not part of that group and it inspires those who are in that group. I follow POC climate activists to learn about their worldview and their perspectives on climate change that I would not get from fellow white creators. I follow climate creators from other countries to stay informed about global issues. I got involved in climate because I saw people like me getting involved.
We can’t have one without the other
Intersectional environmentalism comes down to one main takeaway: climate justice and human justice are inextricably linked together. We cannot continue the fight for broad climate change while ignoring the fight for other human rights issues. Notice I said “other” issues. That’s because climate justice is a fight for human rights: the right to clean air, clean water, no pollution, and a livable planet. But, other human justice causes are just as important to the movement including (but not limited to) incarceration, police brutality, indigenous sovereignty, access to healthcare, education, and so much more.
A quote I loved from her book was (I’m paraphrasing) we need to stop asking ourselves which movement is more important. That is the wrong question! All movements for human rights deserve our attention because of how interconnected it is to climate change.
“Climate justice is only justice if it includes us all”
“We cannot save the planet without lifting up the voices of marginalized people!”
So, follow people who don’t look like you on social media. Follow queer activists, disabled activists, activists of color, etc. I have a full list of activists I look up to here.
Keep learning
Our biggest Book Club takeaway from this book was that it was an excellent surface-level book. So, if you want to dive deeper, I recommend these other eco books on intersectional topics:
Cobalt Red by Siddharth Kara
Consumed by Aja Barber
Let This Radicalize You by Kelley Hayes and Mariame Kaba
Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis
Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
You can get my full list of eco book recs here.
Thank you so much for learning about this topic. It is important now more than ever that we center intersectionality in our movements as the Trump administration demonizes and ignores lqbtq people, people of color, indigenous peoples, and other minority groups. We must centralize these voices in climate spaces.
I hope that you learned something and continue to get educated on this topic. If you want to join the Eco Book Club, it’s just $1 a month! See you there!
As always, remember that your small actions make a big difference in the long run :)
Emma
