"Climate adaptation strategies must also be socially fair" (European Environment Agency / report)

"Climate adaptation strategies must also be socially fair", stresses the EEA in its 2025 report Social Fairness in Preparing for Climate Change, published on 10/06/2025. The EEA asks policymakers to ensure that no one is left behind, warning "that vulnerable groups such as older people, children, low-income households, migrants and people with disabilities are disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change and do not always benefit fairly from adaptation responses."

The report promotes the concept of just resilience, which refers to addressing climate risks while ensuring that adaptation benefits are fairly distributed and burdens are not placed disproportionately on those already at risk. It defines climate justice along three key dimensions: distributional (fair sharing of benefits and burdens), procedural (inclusive and transparent decision-making), and recognitional (respecting the diverse needs and experiences of different groups).

Justice considerations drop in implementation

While fairness is increasingly referenced in EU policies such as the European Green…