Climate Change Is A ‘Serious Issue Of Human Rights': Mary Robinson
By Sophie Yeo
23 September 2013
Responding to Climate Change
Responding to Climate Change
Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland, speaks to RTCC about climate justice, the UN, and why climate skeptics make her angry
Pic: Flickr / Open Government Partnership
Climate justice is a phrase which eludes a neat definition.
Morally laden and politically controversial, it is used interchangeably to discuss the law, politics and ethics of climate change. Even the most seasoned negotiators may find themselves promoting one of its many meanings over another.
For Mary Robinson, these various meanings are not disconnected concepts, but a jigsaw of related ideas that together create a comprehensive picture of how best to tackle one of the world's greatest problems: “When we're talking about climate change, the issue of justice starts with injustice,” she says.
A barrister, a politician, and a top official in the UN, Robinson, now 69, remains best known as the first female president of Ireland – a largely ceremonial role she occupied between 1990 and 1997 through which she strove to influence through the “moral authority” it bestowed on her.
She admits that moral leadership continues to fascinate her, and is something she continues to exercise since became a member of the Elders in 2007, a group of global leaders, brought together by Nelson Mandela, who work together to provide guidance on peace making and human rights.
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