Spotlight - How people of colour experience and engage with climate change in Britain

Ogunbode, Charles; Anim, Nick; Kidwell, Jeremy; Sawas, Amiera; Solanki, Serayna

Abstract

Climate change is a globally devastating phenomenon. Our response must therefore be a globally inclusive and creative transformation. Around the world, people of colour are disproportionately affected by climate change. Some of the most devastating effects occur outside the UK, such as extreme floods in Nigeria, Pakistan and Bangladesh; droughts in the African Sahel, cyclones in the Caribbean, and deadly heatwaves across South Asia. Our research shows that these global experiences of climate change are felt indirectly by people of colour residing in the UK. In addition, people of colour also feel the climate change impacts that are directly affecting the UK, such as severe heatwaves and flooding.

The interconnections between climate change and racial (in)justice are becoming increasingly visible, especially in international political arenas where climate-vulnerable countries have been calling for the delivery of promised, but delayed, loss and damage finance. In the UK, there are also growing calls for a just and equitable response to climate change. Yet, work remains to be done in scholarship and education to help the British public recognise how cross-country
disparities in greenhouse gas emissions are linked with British colonial legacies including historic forceful expropriation of resources from people of colour. Our research acknowledges the need to address intersecting racial and climate (in)justices, and to promote climate justice as a guiding principle for all attempts to develop a climate-resilient world.

In attempting to support these aspirations, this study addresses a gap in research, particularly the understanding and personal experiences of climate change by people of colour in the UK. We engaged with 1008 adults across the UK who identify with non-white ethnic minority backgrounds. The sample was evenly distributed across ethnicity, age, political leaning, region, religious affiliation and household income. As a team of social scientists and practitioners -
drawing broadly from psychology, geography, theology, education, policy, campaigning and ethics - we analyse the findings through a mix of approaches to generate insights into how people of colour are thinking about and responding to the climate crisis.

Citation

Ogunbode, C., Anim, N., Kidwell, J., Sawas, A., & Solanki, S. (2023). Spotlight - How people of colour experience and engage with climate change in Britain. University of Birmingham, University of Nottingham

• Report Type: Project Report
• Online Publication Date: Sep 21, 2023
• Publication Date: Sep 21, 2023
• Deposit Date: Oct 8, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 7, 2023
• Pages: 46
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/25802298
• Related Public URLs: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/375059267_SPOTLIGHT_-_How_people_of_colour_experience_and_engage_with_climate_change_in_Britain