Vancouver Climate Justice Charter

The vision for climate justice in Vancouver is “A city of interconnected communities collectively advancing climate action, Indigenous sovereignty, intersectionality, equity, and social justice toward a shared future of healing and hope” (City of Vancouver, 2022). The Climate Justice Charter is grounded in five principles:

1. nə́ c̓aʔmat tə šxʷqʷeləwən ct (we are of one heart and mind)
2. Indigenous sovereignty
3. thinking beyond borders
4. redistribution
5. fluidity

Guided by the Climate Justice Charter, which community leaders wrote for the City of Vancouver to provide guidance on how to embed justice into climate-related work, the RSD12-Vancouver hub is an opportunity to consider this over the course of a two-day symposium.

Reference: City of Vancouver’s Climate Justice Charter (PDF)

PROGRAMME

Using processes that draw from the fields of systemic design, social innovation, and equity-centred and decolonizing methods as alternatives to the standard policy-making, program delivery, and public engagement processes typically used in local governments, we will co-create an experimental and experiential learning journey that we are embarking on as researchers, students, civil servants, and community members working to design just climate futures. 

Context

Cities are facing increasing pressures to address complex challenges of climate change, equity, and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples as intersecting issues. Working on these challenges discreetly or solely within the dominant western colonial paradigm and governance practices is no longer enough. Ongoing harms are caused by climate work that does not embed justice, and there are missed opportunities for synergies across these domains as they have the same systemic root causes. Cities must adapt and transform the processes and practices they use to work alongside community partners to work at these problematic roots.

Skilful use of new and resurgent processes that centre collaboration, sharing power, and nurturing relationships with and amongst communities most impacted by a changing climate is needed to meet the calls to action and accountability for equity, justice, and reconciliation outlined in the first ever Climate Justice Charter for the City of Vancouver.

Systemic design theories, principles, and practices have much to offer—and Emily Carr University, and Vancouver, more generally, represent a hub where a unique and impactful relational systemic design practice is unfolding and contributing to climate justice work. RSD12-Vancouver aims to generate greater curiosity, visibility, and affinity with systemic design amongst communities, institutions, and networks. RSD12-Vancouver is dedicated to supporting collective efforts to experiment with implementing climate justice in and surrounding Vancouver; however, the explorations also contribute research and practice in equity-centred design and decolonising design and the connections between systemic design and sustainability transitions.