Climate Justice and Child Welfare: Creating a Sustainable Future for All

Between  2000-2020,  insufficient child welfare policies reversed the claimed positive impacts of many governments and  organizations, exacerbating harm to children and women in western Uganda. This harm can be measured by at least eight metrics that comprise self-determination, a value that the wealthy used to evade environmental regulations, taxes, birth and development conditions, and all other factors that caused the climate crisis and growing” death debt”. 

The Metrics

The metrics are detailed here but discussed more below. 

1. Minimum Level of Welfare: Violations of child's welfare in Uganda, resulted in climate crisis conditions that supported malaria transmission, leading and causing the deaths of more children. Many in high emission and wealthy nations pushed for more babies there, to “expand labor markets” and this has increased demand for resources already at the brink of deadly elimination. 
2. Equity: Inequality in the U.S. and here, globally increased the risk of children like Judith, who suffered differently from the climate crisis. Millionaires and billionaires in the U.S profited from investments based on green washing and growthwashing,contributing to more greenhouse gas and carbon emissions. These emissions altered the climate, favoring malaria and Judith, a vulnerable to this error end up suffering and dying from malaria.  
3. Environment: Climate conditions in Uganda favor communicable diseases like malaria. Inadequate protection from these communicable diseases results inmore deaths among children, as many policies driven by  iU.S interest creates more growth and harm for their benefit.
4. Human rights and Democracy: Policy makers in the Global North undermined human rights by prioritizing the growth of wealth and power, concentrating control and diminishing the voices of the Global South. This approach avoided the democratic/decentralization system in approaching the climate crisis and not prioritizing human rights in responding to the crisis.
5. Right to Continuity: Parents' right to continue their lives through their children is being compromised. Children from the Global South have suffered disruption in health care systems - and a failure in addressing climate crisis harms. Instead many in the U.S. are born rich and never having to work, because of the cost externalization that caused Judith’s death. 
6. Efficiency: Not admitting that accumulating wealth on the losing the wealth of the global south hence not serving human needs by using resources most productively and sustainably throughout their life cycles, generally minimizing the funds involved in efficiency.  Wealthy individuals often justify their actions by believing they or their descendants will not face future consequences.
7. Trust: Degrading trust during the climate crisis. The wealthy are affected differently, and poor people have been less valued in bringing positive change in climate change. Wealthy world have mistrust and thinking there are the only one to save next generation using centralized system and modified technology in restoring climate crisis and negative climate crisis are seen in global south. Seeds work asks - Why should we trust others if we never ensured their development? Why should they treat us well if we did not treat them well?  Investment in children and women is the primary obligation in responding to climate crisis and Frontline communities under more climate crisis and its impacts. Decentralization system the only form of freedom and self-determination. 
8. Self-determination: The Global North’s supremacy in climate crisis decision making led to the denial of equity and accessibility to full determination (the right of every people to choose the sovereign under which they live).Judith’s parents, like many others were deprived of the right to decide when to have children, destabilizing the standard of climate restoration and civilization. 

Addressing the Failures

Rejoice Africa Foundation has emerged as the savior of the next generation, using an Afrocentric model (women care groups) to invest in women and children and grant rights to marginalized communities. This model seeks to decentralize power and foster economic and climate equity challenging the economic and climate apartheid perpetrated by the richest individuals from the Global North, highlighting another key aspect of Self–determination.              

These issues highlight the harm done to marginalized populations and the deaths of Judith and others from Malaria and other climate-driven causes. Although, more recently, many   have tried to create reform but they still benefit at harm to others, and many organizations do the same - ignoring metrics of self-determination, even against their own mission. 

The Broader Context

By examining the systemic issues that underpin the climate crisis, it becomes clear that self-determination and equitable policies are critical for fostering a sustainable future. Delving into the historical and socio-economic contexts that have led to the current state of climate liability, we can trace the policies and actions from the Global North that have exacerbated inequalities and environmental degradation.

Developing and articulating the eight metrics that measure self-determination provides a framework for assessing the impacts of child welfare policies on environmental and social outcomes, emphasizing the interconnectedness of these issues. Promoting the need for decentralized approaches to climate and social justice, localized, community-driven initiatives, such as those championed by the Rejoice Africa Foundation, can offer effective solutions by empowering marginalized communities and fostering true self-determination.

Transparency and accountability are crucial in addressing climate liability. Wealthy nations and individuals can no longer evade responsibility through superficial sustainability measures and must be held accountable for their contributions to global inequities. Practical solutions to address the systemic issues at the heart of climate liability include advocating for policy reforms, equitable resource distribution, and long-term investments in child and maternal welfare to ensure a sustainable and just future for all.

Parents of children like Judith should be granted all eight metrics of life, to ensure climate restoration. Establishing savings accounts for children’s health and continuity of life is crucial. Judith’s story highlights the urgent need for systemic change, prioritizing equity, self-determination and true sustainability. Only by addressing these root causes can we move towards a truly sustainable and just future.