Justice Is the Real Solution to the Climate Crisis
Fund communities, not the profiteering corporations
The climate crisis — or more accurately, the climate catastrophe — is the direct result of deeply entrenched and interconnected systems: fascism, racism, ableism, casteism, and all the isms that map the oppressions that govern our lives.
We are living in an era of technofeudalism, where power and control over people and resources are concentrated in the hands of mega-rich tech and land overlords whose primary goal is exploitation, extraction, and domination.
The genocide in Palestine and Sudan, the massive droughts in the Horn of Africa and Mexico, and the raging fires in Brazil and across continents are not mere coincidences; they are deliberate outcomes of a system designed to sustain crisis because crisis is profitable.
Colonialism laid the foundation for the climate catastrophe, capitalism expanded it, and fascism and militarization ensured its ongoing devastation.
And yet, while those in power manufacture despair to maintain control, communities are rising up, taking collective action grounded in solidarity, reciprocity, care, and radical imagination — with girls and young feminists at the forefront of this fight.
“Understand that there is no climate justice without funding the feminist movement, which is navigating for their communities, and that there has never been more need to trust that we have the solutions we need to address this crisis.” - Ariane Sousa Campos, Brazilian Feminist activist and Purposeful Team
Climate justice response in the midst of crises and beyond
Across the world, communities — especially those with the deepest experiences of surviving the systems fueling this catastrophe — are not just resisting; they are actively building and envisioning alternative futures. Women, girls, and young feminists are leading the way, responding to immediate climate crises while shaping long-term solutions rooted in justice, resilience, and care. Jhannel Tomlinson from Jamaica, Winny Aketch Ouma from Kenya, and Daniela Islas Alemán and Montserrat Villanueva from Mexico are four young feminist activists and organizers offering critical analysis on the climate crisis and highlighting urgent recommendations for funders to meet this moment with the bold, sustained support it demands.
Meeting the Urgency of This Moment: A Call to Action
The fight for climate justice is a collective responsibility and requires new approaches that succeed where the status quo has failed. Funders, in particular, must take decisive action to ensure frontline communities have the resources they need to sustain both immediate emergency response and long-term systemic change.
Now is the time to act. We must shift power, redistribute resources, and center the leadership of those most impacted.
“A web of support and interconnection is already happening at the movement level. It is our responsibility as funders to mirror that by strengthening funding systems that reflect the realities of frontline activists. Funders must move with agility, flexibility, and relevance—removing as many barriers as possible. Excessive forms, registration requirements, and bureaucratic obstacles only limit access to funding.” - B de Gersigny, Global Greengrants Fund
“Trust us to know what our communities need.
We know better because we are part of the community.”
- Winny Aketch Ouma, Innovators 4 Climate Action | Kenya
How Funders can Step up:
🌱 Fund Young Feminist-Led Climate Justice Work — Now:
We do not need “shiny new solutions [coming from the outside].” Communities worldwide are already leading powerful, life-saving initiatives with minimal resources. Imagine what could be achieved if funding moved at the speed and flexibility needed to meet this moment.
“We need flexible feminist funding that allows us to respond to real problems on the ground.
Some funders provide emergency grants but with rigid policies that don’t allow purchase of certain emergency items like food. The truth is that we are in a crisis, and crises demand flexibility, urgency, and radical care.” - Winny Aketch Ouma, Innovators 4 Climate Action | Kenya
🌱 Center, trust, and support the communities most impacted by injustice:
The communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis must be at the center of decision-making and resource allocation. Funding models must be shaped by and for those experiencing the crisis firsthand.
"The government has done little to support communities that have suffered multiple climate catastrophes. Our collectives do this work from the heart, supporting affected communities with both immediate responses of supplies and long-term essential physical and mental health resources. But currently, to respond to crises, we must often take resources away from other important girls' rights projects that get postponed."
Daniela Islas Aleman, AfroCaracolas | Mexico
🌱 Climate justice is interconnected with all struggles:
The same forces driving the climate crisis — capitalism, colonialism, patriarchy, and technofeudalism — also sustain global inequality and oppression. Addressing it requires a systemic, intersectional approach.
“Consider climate crisis as an urgent issue and a threat to the LBQ women who are already marginalized and fund it. Climate Justice remains underfunded within the LGBTQIA+ community in the global south.” - Winny Aketch Ouma, Innovators 4 Climate Action | Kenya
🌱 Care and resilience are central to sustaining long-term work:
Burnout and trauma from the climate crisis are real. Lasting movements need a strong, recognized, and well-supported infrastructure that prioritizes care, healing, and community resilience. What does this look like in practice?
"This climate crisis has been incredibly difficult—not just because of its material impact, but also due to its profound effects on our mental health. Facing these disasters is traumatic, yet we see a glaring lack of action to address this critical dimension of the crisis." - Montserrat Villanueva, AfroCaracolas | Mexico
The future is not something we inherit — it is something we collectively shape.
The climate catastrophe is not inevitable. It is the product of extractive systems. And just as these systems were built, they can be dismantled.
Funders must move beyond rhetoric and take bold, decisive action: shift power, move resources, and trust in the leadership of girls and young feminists. Their climate justice work is not peripheral — it is essential to driving the systemic change needed to truly confront the climate crisis.
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This article was developed by Global Greengrants Fund, MADRE, and the Global Resilience Fund following a funder briefing in early 2025 that presented core actions to mobilize funders in joining this collective call to action to address the climate crisis through a systemic change approach.