Building blocks for climate reparations | Konnzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie

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The climate crisis is profoundly unjust: Those who have contributed the least to it are often the hardest hit by its consequences. At the same time, countries and corporations in the Global North bear a large share of the historical and current responsibility. Climate reparations are therefore more than just a political demand. They raise a central question: Who is responsible for the climate crisis, who bears its consequences, and what is needed to achieve true justice? In our audiobooks, we search for answers. We discuss historical calls for reparations and global movements, international climate policy and climate finance, as well as the damage and losses that are already a reality today.

Episodes

  1. Aug 13

    How to (not) apologize

    Nandiuasora “Nandi” Mazeingo (Ovaherero Genocide Foundation), Sima Luipert and Johannes Maboss Ortmann (Nama Traditional Leaders Association) as well as Felix Henn (Workshop Economics) emphasize that genuine climate reparations must go beyond symbolic apologies and should always include material justice. They use the largely unaddressed consequences of the genocide against the Ovaherero and Nama as an example of how words alone cannot create justice, but rather require concrete action. Germany’s handling of the genocide against the Ovaherero and Nama demonstrates how apologies and reparations fail. In contrast, credible apologies require full acknowledgment of the injustice, the active involvement of the victims, the acceptance of responsibility by authorized representatives, symbolic and material measures, and a guarantee that the injustice will not be repeated. A just and appropriate reparations package can only be defined and accepted by the directly affected parties, in direct consultation with them, and not by third parties. Symbolic gestures alone are not enough. However, if they are authentic and voluntary, and embedded in a comprehensive process of taking responsibility and a willingness to make amends, they play an important role. Because without recognition there can be no responsibility – without responsibility there can be no justice – and without justice there can be no reconciliation. You can download this and other fact sheets free of charge here: https://konzeptwerk-neue-oekonomie.org/projekt/bausteine-fuer-klimareparationen/ If you would like to connect with others on the topic of climate reparations and stay informed, you can sign up for the mailing list here: https://lists.datenkollektiv.net/postorius/lists/klimareparationen.lists.fueralle.org CreditsText: Nandiuasora „Nandi“ Mazeingo, Sima Luipert, Johannes Maboss Ortmann, Felix HennNarration: Aaron Alexandre Cuyugan Editing: Kai KuhnhennProduction: Konzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie e.V. Studio Responsible according to press law: Radio-Verein Leipzig e.V. Radio Blau V.i.S.d.PCover: Luzz Kohnen

    How to (not) apologize

  2. Aug 13

    Postgrowth and decolonization

    Tonny Nowshin, an economist and degrowth activist from Bangladesh, and Matthias Schmelzer, a German economic historian, argue that climate justice requires an end to the structural reproduction of harm by overcoming both the growth-oriented, extractivist economic model and colonial power relations. A key element of climate reparations is the guarantee of non-repetition: it must be ensured that the structural causes of harm do not persist. In the context of climate justice, “repetition” is driven by the continued reproduction of inequalities through a global economic system—an economic system based on the extraction of resources, labor, and the environment of countries in the Global South. Taking the guarantee of non-repetition seriously therefore means addressing the economic and political order that produces these harms. It means ending the growth-oriented, extractivist model that underpins the current global economy and enables the continuous exploitation of people and the environment. To meet this challenge, post-growth perspectives must be integrated with decolonial approaches. Together, they offer a vision—a post-growth world. You can download this and other fact sheets free of charge here: https://konzeptwerk-neue-oekonomie.org/projekt/bausteine-fuer-klimareparationen/ If you would like to connect with others on the topic of climate reparations and stay informed, you can sign up for the mailing list here: https://lists.datenkollektiv.net/postorius/lists/klimareparationen.lists.fueralle.org CreditsText: Tonny Nowshin und Matthias SchmelzerNarration: Aaron Alexandre Cuyugan Editing: Kai KuhnhennProduction: Konzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie e.V. Studio Responsible according to press law: Radio-Verein Leipzig e.V. Radio Blau V.i.S.d.P Cover: Luzz Kohnen

    Postgrowth and decolonization

  3. Aug 13

    Pay up for the climate crisis!

    The Asian People’s Movement on Debt and Development writes about how to move from “development aid” to genuine justice, how to decolonize climate policy, and how to restore economic sovereignty in the Global South. Climate finance is at the heart of the struggle for climate justice. The current climate finance system is deeply inadequate and unjust, and does not reflect the scale of the climate crisis or the responsibility of those who have caused it. Seeing climate finance as a core component of climate reparations is therefore not a rhetorical choice, but a political necessity. Addressing climate change requires far more than incremental increases in funding. It demands a transformation of the global economic and financial systems that have enabled exploitation, inequality, and ecological destruction. Public, grant-based, reliable climate finance—provided through democratic, feminist, and decolonial mechanisms—is an indispensable foundation for this transformation. You can download the fact sheets for free here: https://konzeptwerk-neue-oekonomie.org/projekt/bausteine-fuer-klimareparationen/ If you would like to connect with others on the topic of climate reparations and stay informed, you can sign up for the mailing list here: https://lists.datenkollektiv.net/postorius/lists/klimareparationen.lists.fueralle.org CreditsText: Asian People‘s Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD)Narration: Inés Schulz Editing:Kai KuhnhennProduction: Konzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie e.V. Studio Responsible according to press law: Radio-Verein Leipzig e.V. Radio Blau V.i.S.d.P Cover: Luzz Kohnen

    Pay up for the climate crisis!

  4. Aug 13

    Ending Corporate Impunity

    It is a fundamental decision: Germany stands at a crossroads, as does every nation that is home to destructive corporations. It can either continue to portray itself as a leader in climate protection while simultaneously enabling the exploitation of natural resources, or it must choose genuine accountability by dismantling unjust legal systems, acknowledging its colonial continuities, and taking responsibility. Nicholas Omonuk, founder of End Fossil Occupy Uganda, explains corporate impunity as a lack of accountability for environmental destruction and human rights violations and shows how weak laws and power imbalances enable such abuses. You can download this and other fact sheets free of charge here: https://konzeptwerk-neue-oekonomie.org/projekt/bausteine-fuer-klimareparationen/ If you would like to connect with others on the topic of climate reparations and stay informed, you can sign up for the mailing list here: https://lists.datenkollektiv.net/postorius/lists/klimareparationen.lists.fueralle.org CreditsText: Nicholas Omonuk OkoitNarration: Aaron Alexandre Cuyugan Editing: Kai KuhnhennProduction: Konzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie e.V. Studio Responsible according to press law: Radio-Verein Leipzig e.V. Radio Blau V.i.S.d.P Cover: Luzz Kohnen

    Ending Corporate Impunity

  5. Aug 13

    Just Transition Now!

    Lower-income countries also need to transition to cleaner energy sources. At the same time, they must adapt to the negative impacts of climate change. Unfortunately, countries that have been victims of colonialism and neocolonialism for centuries now have to divert significant portions of their national budgets toward acquiring renewable energy sources and adapting to climate change, because the largest CO₂ emitters keep postponing meaningful action. These unjust transitions, imposed on them by wealthy nations, cannot continue if these countries are still expected to achieve other essential goals, such as ending hunger, ensuring universal access to education, connecting households to water and electricity networks, and providing high-quality roads and housing. This is why we need just transitions. Roland Ngam, Project Manager for Climate Justice at the RLS in Johannesburg, traces the origins of the term Just Transition from labor struggles to climate negotiations and places it in the context of climate reparations. You can download this and other fact sheets free of charge here: https://konzeptwerk-neue-oekonomie.org/projekt/bausteine-fuer-klimareparationen/ If you would like to connect with others on the topic of climate reparations and stay informed, you can sign up for the mailing list here: https://lists.datenkollektiv.net/postorius/lists/klimareparationen.lists.fueralle.org CreditsText: Roland NgamNarration: Aaron Alexandre Cuyugan Editing: Kai KuhnhennProduction: Konzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie e.V. Studio Responsible according to press law: Radio-Verein Leipzig e.V. Radio Blau V.i.S.d.P Cover: Luzz Kohnen

    Just Transition Now!

  6. Aug 13

    Act on Loss and Damage!

    Although countries in the Global South are least responsible for the increase in global carbon emissions, they are among those most severely affected by the climate crisis. The slow pace of negotiations on Loss and Damage, the lack of political will, and insufficient funding for climate mitigation and adaptation have exacerbated the impacts of Loss and Damage in the Global South. In particular, least developed countries and small island states have been denied climate justice as a result. According to the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), losses and damages will increase with global warming. Limiting warming to 1.5°C would reduce future impacts, but would not eliminate them. Every further delay and failure to act increases Loss and Damage in the Global South, undermines hard-won sustainable development gains, and hampers the efforts of countries in the Global South to build climate-neutral economies. Hwei Mian Lim, an independent consultant and member of the Facilitative Committee of the Women and Gender Constituency, explains Loss and Damage as unavoidable climate-related harm that disproportionately affects the Global South. She traces its historical and structural causes, highlights significant funding gaps despite the establishment of the new Loss and Damage Fund, and emphasizes the central role of finance in achieving climate justice and advancing reparations efforts. You can download this and other fact sheets free of charge here: https://konzeptwerk-neue-oekonomie.org/projekt/bausteine-fuer-klimareparationen/ If you would like to connect with others on the topic of climate reparations and stay informed, you can sign up for the mailing list here: https://lists.datenkollektiv.net/postorius/lists/klimareparationen.lists.fueralle.org CreditsText: Hwei Mian LimNarration: Nele Sander Editing: Kai KuhnhennProduction: Konzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie e.V. Studio Responsible according to press law: Radio-Verein Leipzig e.V. Radio Blau V.i.S.d.P Cover: Luzz Kohnen

    Act on Loss and Damage!
  • 6 Episodes

About

The climate crisis is profoundly unjust: Those who have contributed the least to it are often the hardest hit by its consequences. At the same time, countries and corporations in the Global North bear a large share of the historical and current responsibility. Climate reparations are therefore more than just a political demand. They raise a central question: Who is responsible for the climate crisis, who bears its consequences, and what is needed to achieve true justice? In our audiobooks, we search for answers. We discuss historical calls for reparations and global movements, international climate policy and climate finance, as well as the damage and losses that are already a reality today.

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