Local:
Recognize and deliver climate reparations
Global South communities, women, youth, peasants, Black and other communities of color, and Indigenous communities are on the front lines of the climate crisis. Recognize that they are owed reparations for the damage wrought by climate change and polluting or destructive corporate practices. And deliver reparations by requiring these corporations to sincerely apologize and address the damage they cause and debts owed, while acknowledging that any amount of financial compensation does not equal justice served.
What does this look like?
Require corporations to provide public, sincere apologies to communities and individuals that have endured abuse, in some case for decades, and whose lives, livelihoods, homes, and cultures have been adversely affected or lost as a result.
Distribute and deliver reparations owed to communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis by requiring corporations to pay their climate debt to these communities, while acknowledging such a debt can never be fully paid.
Reparations must not create dependence on polluting corporations and the mechanism for delivery of reparation—whether financial or otherwise—should be led by the affected person or persons.
One possible mechanism at the international level could include a loss and damage financing facility.
Reparations could be delivered in part through a variety of means, subject to the approval of affected communities, including:
Direct compensation for losses incurred (past, present, and future).
Restoring land unlawfully or unduly under the control of polluting corporations back to its natural stewards (e.g., Indigenous communities or local/frontline communities including women, peasants, fisherfolk, nomadic, and rural peoples).
Making accessible technology that directly helps impacted communities respond to and address the impacts of climate change.
Cancel any and all debt from Global South countries or frontline communities that arises out of financing real and legitimate climate action within a country.
Align reparations measures with the demands of frontline communities based in a country/jurisdiction calling for reparations.
Implementing the measures of the liability roadmap
Decision-makers and movements at all levels should keep the following in mind when implementing the measures laid out in this roadmap:
Enacting these policies and measures is simply the first step to holding polluting and destructive industries liable: There will be much work for government officials, decision-makers, activists and civil society alike to do to ensure these measures are fully implemented and move us toward the transformative change the world needs.
Liability should be applied to all industries and corporations that make business decisions that contribute to climate change and its impacts, or that cause harm to people and nature. In addition to the fossil fuel industry, these industries include but are not limited to agribusiness, forestry, mining, and the energy sector.
Many of these measures could equally apply to State-owned corporations. Because the national contexts and unique needs vary from country to country, it is worth considering where to apply and how to adapt the principles and measures listed in the liability roadmap to address State-owned polluting corporations. Factors to consider when doing so could include but are not limited to the degree of democratic control over the entity, role and use of funding from oil/gas revenues, and responsiveness of the entity to transition to regenerative, renewable energy sources.
Measures implemented at the national level should support and reinforce, rather than contradict, measures implemented at the sub-national and local, and vice versa.