Advancing the SDGs- Climate Justice Alliance (SDGs 10, 11, and 13)

By Judah Jones

While Model United Nations gives us an environment to learn about issues that exist all over the world, it is important to use and recognize the skills it can teach us in the real world. As part of a new blog series, MiniMUN is looking to highlight groups, movements, and organizations that advance the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations in the real world. The world around us is complicated, with far too many issues for just governments to solve. So, we’re here to bring the fight for change to you!

While the United Nations has outlined 17 Goals for Sustainable Development [1], they often overlap, requiring unique solutions to complicated issues. This is exactly what the Climate Justice Alliance (CJA) is all about. The Climate Justice Alliance is a collective movement currently made up of 84 different rural and urban communities, all focused on how climate change and the climate crisis affects those who are already affected by issues of racial, economic, and gender inequality. While recognizing the urgency of climate change, a major issue which is the focus of multiple SDGs, CJA supports other Goals of Development by fighting against unjust pollution, unsustainable practices, and a lack of climate action, all of which uniquely affect different communities due to a past of unjust treatment in policies. For example, CJA’s “Just Transition” and “Energy Democracy” platforms call for sustainable energy while paying special attention to how the energy crisis is negatively impacting many communities of Indigenous peoples and people of color across the United States [2].

Beyond general calls to action, they also are making real, tangible changes towards sustainability in communities across communities. The “Reinvest in Our Power” initiative is a creative solution forwarded by CJA which directs capital funds towards community projects and initiatives which are focused on being economically regenerative and environmentally-friendly [3]. Their current goal is to invest 100 million dollars of philanthropy into local economies, bringing meaningful change and positively sustainable solutions to people in their communities. With projects like these, the Climate Justice Alliance shows us all that you don’t need to be a big-time politician to make real changes in your community. Sustainability is for everyone, and we can all do our part. Way to go CJA for showing us how to work towards the SDGs!

To learn more about how everyday people are fulfilling the SDGs, be sure to check for updates and stay in contact with MiniMUN!

Sources:

[1] Sustainable Development Goals

[2] Energy Democracy Platform

[3] Reinvest in Our Power Platform