Empowering Local Communities, a Strategy to Moderate Environmental Inequality with an Emphasis on Women; Case Study: Iran
The widespread social and economic inequality that exists in the whole country, it has also affected and exacerbated the environmental crises which has more consequences on women. Therefore, dealing with climate inequality and establishing climate justice in Iran is different from the northern countries, but is different from many underdeveloped or developing countries as well.
The unjust climate policies that are implemented by the government have sacrificed parts of the country to other parts; so, the effort to establish environmental and climate justice in Iran includes intervening in climate policies and minimizing their effects which includes awareness and empowering local communities. To increase social demand is also one of the strategies that have had played an important role to stop the policies that intensified climate inequality.
This study is focused on identifying these strategies. It also is focused on the implementation of some of these measures and attempts which has been made to identify strategies that have a practical effect on reducing the effects of climate inequality and unfair climate policies.
Raising awareness through the media and holding training courses, empowering local communities through increasing skills and using communicational tools are some of the strategies that have been implemented in some deprived areas in Iran. These are practical steps for reduction of climate change effects which have been the consequences of environmental inequality and unequal climate policies that has been exacerbated by wrong governance policies. The role of civil society and institutions in charge of social responsibility in adjusting policies that exacerbate climate inequality and creating relative climate justice has been emphasized in this study.