Justiça ambiental: a vulnerabilidade humana decorrente do aquecimento global

Abstract

Centuries of environmental degradation and intensive exploitation of natural resources have caused severe consequences for biodiversity, leading to global warming and extreme weather events. Global warming is a climatic phenomenon characterized by the rise in the Earth’s average surface temperature, associated with the emission of greenhouse gases resulting from the burning of fossil fuels, industrial activities, and deforestation. Any further increase in global temperature will directly affect human health, leading to higher mortality rates. However, climate change will not impact all populations equally, as those in vulnerable conditions will be the most affected. In this context, environmental justice emerges as a central element for understanding the interactions between social vulnerability and the climate crisis. The Paris Agreement sought to address this issue through mitigation targets and climate financing; however recent reports from the UNFCCC and UNEP highlight political stagnation, insufficient goals, and the risk of global warming exceeding 3ºC by the end of this century. The crisis of climate governance is marked by short-term economic interests, the lack of political will, and structural inequalities between the Global North and the Global South, reflected in the historical accumulation of emissions by industrialized powers in contrast with the vulnerability of developing countries. It is concluded that the climate emergency transcends the environmental sphere, constituting a political, ethical, and civilizational issue whose response requires a global commitment to climate justice, international solidarity, and respect for the environment.