Everything about climate change is disproportionate: Principles for spatial justice in urban climate action

As climate change makes the future of urban living appear increasingly daunting, many people and communities are already experiencing climate impacts. This paper highlights the disproportionate nature of climate change, from unequal historical responsibilities to unequal climate impacts that fall on the most vulnerable and unequal prospects that hinder people and countries from adapting to a changing climate now and in the future. Through an arts-based literature review, the paper demonstrates that climate change's effects and responses often reinforce existing inequalities, systematically pushing people, communities and entire countries into further vulnerability. Acknowledging that spatial processes play a critical role in creating, shaping and perpetuating inequalities and oppression, we advocate for spatial justice in climate action and offer eight principles to support spatial scholars and practitioners in adopting a critical perspective on climate change in urban contexts.