It affirms that each person is deserving of equal protection from environmental hazards and equal participation in environmental decisions that influence their lives.
What this means is the way in which we develop and scale CDR solutions matters. It matters that solutions take place in disadvantaged communities and whether they are designed in ways that offer communities good employment and revenue.
The mission of environmental and climate justice is to shift resources, leadership, and decision-making power to those communities.
There is broad agreement that social justice must be at the center of global climate policy and governance. The IPCC clearly affirms this (IPCC, 2018c):
“Social justice and equity are core aspects of climate-resilient development pathways for transformational social change. Addressing challenges and widening opportunities between and within countries and communities would be necessary to achieve sustainable development and limit warming to 1.5°C, without making the poor and disadvantaged worse off (high confidence). Identifying and navigating inclusive and socially acceptable pathways towards low-carbon, climate-resilient futures is a challenging yet important endeavor, fraught with moral, practical and political difficulties and inevitable trade-offs (very high confidence).”
By virtue of operating in coastal deserts, Brilliant Planet’s solution offers a unique chance to actively participate in climate change solutions that operate in the Global South, bringing economic stability alongside.
Our commitment at Brilliant revolves around acknowledging the complexities of incorporating social and environmental justice into CDR efforts. Our goal is that the most vulnerable communities are economically and socially bolstered as CDR is deployed. While there isn't a one-size-fits-all blueprint, we continuously seek guidance from successful strategies employed by other sectors. Our overarching goals are centered on job creation, fostering community engagement, ensuring the equitable distribution of project advantages, managing potential drawbacks, and addressing past damages.
Unlike traditional manual labor roles common in agricultural sectors, our job opportunities veer towards technical, long-term positions. Over 95% of our workforce will be locally sourced. We take pride in training and employing a significant number of young women in these roles, pushing against the norm in conservative areas.
Central to our strategy is a philosophy of learning in partnership with the communities we work with. We believe in direct interaction with communities across all stages of our projects. This hopefully will create an environment of procedural justice, allowing for mutually beneficial solutions that truly resonate with local needs.
In terms of distributive justice, we are committed to absolute transparency regarding potential project risks and ensure that communities are a part of defining the kinds of benefits our projects should bring.
We establish formal agreements that detail the benefits as agreed upon by all stakeholders. Our tailored workforce development plan is a part of this benefit package.
Sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date
