Recent global youth climate strikes have heightened awareness of the climate crisis, forging coalitions that centre climate justice and international solidarity. This movement increasingly recognises that climate justice is inseparable from racial, gender, economic, and disability justice. This paper argues that true climate justice must address intersecting social inequalities.

The climate crisis disproportionately harms marginalized communities, a reality evident in Europe where racialised groups face severe environmental racism, living in polluted “hotspots” that damage health and finances. The analysis calls for EU climate policy to move beyond recognizing general “vulnerability” and specifically tackle these embedded racial and social injustices. Effective action must centre the needs of those most impacted to avoid deepening existing inequities.