By Karla Shanley
Karla is an activist and intern with Amnesty International Australia’s campaign for Human Rights-based climate action.
Enora loves the beach and her smile is infectious. She grew up in Perth, studied in Canberra, and now finds herself living in a chaotic share house in Melbourne. She and I have both joined Amnesty as activists on Climate Change and Human Rights.
We sat down for a chat about what brought her to caring about climate action.
Can you tell me a bit about yourself and where you’re from?
I grew up in Perth, it was a small and quiet place. Our teenage hood consisted of bonfires and gatherings on the beach.
In high school, my friends and I would speak about justice and human rights. We were very political, quite early on. As teenagers we would all leave school together; we would go to the school strikes and paint our own banners.
It was a lively community; we were all out there together in the streets. That was a nice memory of my teenage-hood. That was really fun.
What made you move interstate, and what did you do next?
I wanted to be somewhere new and meet new people, so I moved to Canberra for uni.
I didn’t notice at the time, but I was drawn to people with similar values, who were also politically active in the same way. Engaging in political discussions was a big part of how we socialised and made intimate personal connections. I think that’s similar for a lot of people.
I wanted to study something related to social justice, so I did a degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. It was a nice intersection of topics that allowed me to understand political issues and social injustices. Last year, I wrote my honours thesis on ‘the philosophy of climate justice’.
I was interested in the moral prerogative of what people ought to do. There is so much technical talk about what we need to do to combat climate change, but I wanted to know what personal duties we have – in a way that could hopefully motivate people to act.
A moral reason to act? Does that make climate change an ethical/human rights issue?
Yes, definitely. Climate change is exacerbating injustices that already exist. Countries and individuals know what they ought to be doing to fight human rights abuses, but it’s the same structure of injustice that translates to climate injustices.
“Climate change is exacerbating injustices that already exist.”
Climate has always been a human rights issue, and I think people neglect to say that – even if it’s implicit in the way it’s being talked about.
Well, you are clearly very passionate! Is that what’s drawn you towards Amnesty’s new climate campaign?
Yeah, totally. I find that activism, and being political together, is such a fulfilling way of making friendships and being out in the world.
A lot of my friends have graduated, and some of us are doing honours, but everyone is kind of unsure about the future.
There is a background feeling of uncertainty that characterises this moment, but I think joining a campaign is a great way to take action.
Enora’s passion moved me, and I was reminded how excited I am to be a part of a campaign with such enthusiastic people!
If you want to join myself, Enora, and hundreds of other passionate people to change the world for the better, join the Amnesty National Climate Justice Network.
You’ll be part of creating a just, climate-safe future and making interesting friends along the way.
Karla studies International Politics at The University of Melbourne and has a diploma of languages in German. Her international background leads her to believe that the only way to tackle climate change is through global collaboration. She is particularly passionate about green technologies such as solar but recognises that these potentially profitable industries present the opportunity for human rights abuses in the pursuit of profit. To facilitate a ‘just transition’, human rights have to be a part of the discussion.
This article was written by an activist contributor. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Amnesty International Australia.
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