Championing Equity in Climate Action: Addressing Thermal Injustice
This World Environment Day, we direct our focus towards ‘Thermal Injustice’, highlighting the disproportionate heat-related risks faced by internally displaced persons (IDPs) and vulnerable communities. Through a case study from Somalia, we advocate for collaborative, grassroots solutions to address inequalities and promote a healthier, inclusive environment for all.
By Samuel Hall team
“Where do we situate the right to cooling in climate justice?”
This was a question posed by Professor Nausheen Anwar as part of her keynote speech at Samuel Hall’s inaugural annual lecture ‘titled ‘Asia And Africa In Conversation: Cities, Migration, And Climate Change’ organised in collaboration with the Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media & Communications (GSMC), and the Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (AKU-ISMC) on January 23rd 2024.
Rising temperatures aggravate social inequalities, particularly in informal settlements and refugee camps, where water scarcity and inadequate housing and ventilation amplify the detrimental effects of heat. This is a consequence of poor and often intentional urban planning — which Professor Anwar explained as ‘Thermal Injustice’.
“Thermal justice acknowledges the disproportionate impact of increasing heat on minority groups. It emphasises the need for a fair and equitable distribution of both the risks and benefits associated with climate change, ensuring all groups share these burdens and advantages equally.”
Succinctly put, thermal justice emphasises the need to address the disproportionate impacts of extreme temperatures in consideration of the social contexts in which these risks occur. Recent studies and reports have illustrated this stark reality.
For instance, an article by BBC Africa titled “South Sudan heatwave: Extreme weather shuts schools and cuts power” outlined how schools in Juba were forced to close due to “serious health hazards’’ posed to students due to extreme heat.
Samuel Hall has been engaging in collaborative efforts with academics, organisations, and communities to explore and understand the intersection of climate, mobility, and gender, and its implications for rights and justice for those in vulnerable situations. On World Environment Day, Samuel Hall colleagues — Wendy Indira and Mwara Namelok bring some reflections from Somalia from our ongoing project with the UNDP.
A Case Study from The ‘Sweltering Somalia’
In Baidoa, Somalia, we assessed urban Internally Displaced People (IDPs’) adaptation practices, building on our 2021 report on climate adaptive solutions to displacement. We conducted six focus group discussions with men and women from IDP and host communities. These groups met separately to explore the political, cultural, and economic dimensions of climate change, gender, and mobility.
During these discussions and in the produced transcripts, it was impossible to overlook the stark and emerging aspects of thermal injustice, with salient mentions of how heat affects their daily lives, livelihoods, and children’s education.
Structural Inequalities and Energy Poverty in Baidoa: IDPs Living in Camps and Low-income Host Families
“When discussing climate change, the hot weather poses severe challenges for us. People typically go out to collect firewood, but now it’s too hot to go outside. Even staying indoors offers little relief as the houses become unbearably hot. Seeking livelihoods from farming is not feasible as the farms are dry and barren. The lack of water is also evident with empty wells, bringing the need for the digging of new wells closer to our community. The heat is causing significant distress, with people also ending up in hospitals due to treatment for diarrhea (often resulting from consuming contaminated water in a desperate attempt to find relief from the heat).” — Jamila (name-changed), Baidoa, Somalia.
Baidoa is an arid city in southwestern Somalia that received the largest number of drought-displaced persons in 2017. IDPs live either on unplanned sites or settlements or join the ranks of the urban poor in this state and district capital. In summer, the temperatures here can reach 40 degrees Celsius.
Under the leadership of its mayor and support from a range of stakeholders, Baidoa Municipality has, in the last few years, focused on city/urban planning, sustainable urban development and housing, linked with continental African Union priorities on the protection of IDPs in Africa.
Our research with IOM and UNEP shows that in Baidoa, climate-induced IDPs have lower living standards: the majority live in makeshift shelters. This is not the case in the relocation site of Barwaaqo, where IDPs live mostly in corrugated galvanised iron provided by local and international NGOs.
Who will be held accountable when housing structures remain poorly ventilated, rendering them nearly uninhabitable during scorching daylight hours? Direct scorching sun outdoors versus suffocating heat inside: these are some of the disheartening trade-offs faced by several displaced communities.
Participants painted a desperate picture of adults resorting to extreme measures, such as sleeping outside their homes at night until the interior cools down.
“When the extreme heat started, everything was hard, but we have managed to adapt to the tough situation. Earlier, we used to sprinkle clothes with water so that children could sleep in the clothes as a cooling technique. Nowadays, it’s becoming normal, but at first, it was very hard for us,” expressed one male participant in the FGD.
The cooling measures underscore the need for affordable alternatives for staying cool within a population struggling to make ends meet. Meanwhile, women are taking on additional roles to boost income while grappling with rising living costs.
As one FGD participants pointed out:
“In the last ten years, women have been only going to a shop to get some items like groceries. But right now, they are working. Even after the civil war, they are footing the family bills.”
The Disproportionate Impact on Women
In Baidoa, heat affects women’s lives in two significant ways: their daily struggle for water and firewood and their livelihoods. Moreover, women often face limited coping abilities due to restricted decision-making power, low literacy levels, limited access to financial services, and fewer job opportunities.
Many women are involved in small-scale businesses and, until recently, in unconventional construction jobs, primarily employing IDPs.
“Currently, we work alongside the men, carrying soil. I am married now, but my husband uses his earnings to chew Miraa (Khat), and he doesn’t provide me with anything personally. That’s the current situation,” said one participant in the Women’s FGD.
The intense heat restricts daily movement, and causes stored produce to spoil quickly, affecting the income of women who sell firewood and work as street vendors. Collecting firewood in the hot sun is challenging, and vendors face financial losses due to the rapid spoilage of their produce. Participants said,
“It affected my work. Sometimes, you’re selling something outside and don’t have a structure — you’re using an umbrella outside. Excessive hot weather can come, and all your produce gets spoilt” — Women, FGD.
Key questions arise about how firewood sellers cope with reduced income and how street vendors manage losses without cooling or shading. Additionally, the rising costs of firewood and produce impact the entire community, as firewood is the primary fuel source for most people. The heat exacerbates poverty, making it even more difficult for these struggling communities to survive.
Education Unspared
In East Africa, education can be considered a long-term climate change adaptation tool. With education comes increased employability, which improves family income and alleviates poverty, including energy poverty. This allows families to invest in cooling systems such as fans and ACs and ultimately upgrade their homes by constructing houses with better ventilation.
Currently, the heat in Baidoa affects the education of primary school children. With the limited reprieve from the heat provided by their homes, one might only hope that schools could serve as an escape — a cooling haven for children during the academic calendar. Unfortunately, this is not the reality. Most parents amongst those whom we interviewed are compelled to keep their children at home, opting to rely on personal cooling methods, rather than sending them to school.
As education is affected, a critical concern arises: the potential perpetuation of the poverty cycle, which is, in this instance, the ‘’energy-poverty cycle’’. One participant said:
“We can’t enter the huts, especially those under iron sheet roofs, as it becomes even hotter. Entering the house until around 10 pm is impossible, and sleeping outside isn’t an option due to the hot soil. The children become restless during the day, and their legs develop sores due to the heat, while their bodies develop spots.”
Rethinking Climate Action: A Way Forward For A Healthier and Inclusive Environment
The impacts of thermal injustice are a lived reality for many marginalised populations across the world. Our research across Eastern and Western Africa as well as Afghanistan confirms this.
Based on the evidence gathered through our research, we call for action on:
Local and Intersectional Planning
- Advocate for more significant consideration of refugees, IDPs, and residents of informal settlements. The housing structures in informal settlements often lack basic ventilation systems, an oversight in urban planning that worsens their vulnerability to extreme heat.
- As observed during Samuel Hall’s research with IIED, participatory planning with internally displaced persons (IDPs) raises awareness of unmet needs. This approach is particularly effective in addressing thermal injustice challenges within the community, ensuring that solutions are relevant and directly beneficial to those affected.
Investing in and Engaging with Critical Heat Studies
- Funding interdisciplinary work across urban planning, public health, environmental justice, and climate policy to prioritise critical heat studies and collaborate in developing holistic solutions.
- Actively seeking and incorporating insights from this interdisciplinary research into equitable heat mitigation strategies and cooling access initiatives.
Integrating A Gender-Lens in Climate Resilience Initiatives
- Strengthen women’s economic resilience by supporting income-generating activities less affected by extreme heat. For instance, providing women with sustainable cooking alternatives leads to less time collecting firewood and more time spent creating goods to sell in markets.
- Facilitate women’s involvement in climate and environmental decision-making processes on the local and national levels. Ensure that their unique perspectives and needs are considered in policies and programs aimed at addressing thermal injustice.
- Advocate for urban planning that incorporates gender-specific needs. This includes creating shaded public spaces, designing buildings with better ventilation, and improving green infrastructure in areas where women spend significant time, such as markets and schools.
Implementing these strategies can help us take meaningful steps towards addressing thermal injustice and creating a more inclusive and livable environment for everyone.
