Favourite books: Why social justice is integral to climate justice

I’m a member of the Architects Declare UK steering group and read this book as research for forthcoming updates to our Practice Guide centred on the theme of climate justice.

It is not an architectural book but it is relevant to contextualising the structural systems underpinning climate change. Mikaela Loach’s argument is that the climate crisis is the legacy of colonialism, structural racism, and a wealthy elite intent on maintaining their huge power and wealth at the expense of people and nature.

Some people might be surprised to read about racism in a book about climate change but it is important to have an awareness of how all these issues are interconnected. Loach provides many examples of environmental damage deliberately and disproportionately affecting people of colour. Climate change has sometimes been described as the great equaliser but it exacerbates a lot of structural inequalities. The author describes it instead as like being in the same storm but not being in the same boat.

Loach covers the concept of ‘social licence’, and the Overton Window model of how the acceptability of certain ideas in society changes over time. For example, in the UK we are familiar with women having the right to vote but that has not always been compatible with the accepted societal norm. The window of acceptability changes through time and can become more or less progressive, depending on prevailing social attitudes.

Loach argues that we are currently giving social licence to harmful, extractive and exploitative practices (continuing to extract fossil fuels for example) by operating within a narrow boundary of what might be possible to change and how much agency we have.  She argues that we must shift the Overton Window as much as possible to make environmental damage and social inequality unthinkable. A world without fossil fuels is not only possible but also necessary for a liveable future.

Loach argues that ‘radical’ can mean different things to different people – and all forms of radical thinking are necessary to make the dramatic changes required. She often refers to civil rights movements as examples of this – hard won freedoms that are the result of prominent direct action from a handful of individuals but also the result of sustained minor changes made by many people who didn’t make the history books. Not everybody feels able to protest by marching or chaining themselves to railings, and while she’s passionate about direct actions such as these, she also encourages us to instead think about what we can do every day to work towards that better future.

The thing that strikes a chord with me is the idea of hope as an active stance. You can become jaded in architectural practice and there is a lot of pressure in the industry to maintain the status quo, which is no longer compatible with a safe and just future.

The central ethos of this book is that you can think radically about a different world and, crucially, act towards creating it, no matter what your individual circumstances.

Loach guards against relying solely on celebrity activists such as Greta Thunberg to lead change, arguing that what we really need is lots of people working together and playing their own small part. She says you should never feel you don't know enough to get involved in a movement. That applies in our industry – people are hesitant in case they get called out for lack of knowledge about sustainable alternatives. She is quite clear that everybody is on their own journey towards understanding, and that everyone should have their own ‘dignity of journey’ to learn.

Architects have both privilege and opportunity. We have a career that allows us to contribute to projects, buildings and cities that are much more impactful than our individual lifestyles and outlast our own lifespans. The book refocuses what I think should be the purpose of being an architect – at this critical time we must create a better world for all living beings.

Loach talks about having radical imaginations that go beyond the best world you could imagine today. Rather than ignoring the reality, this is about saying ‘I'm aware of the problems but I'm going to continue to work towards making it better however I can’ – and doing so in an active rather than passive way.

The book also discusses detachment from nature, which Loach argues is a product of a colonial and extractivist mindset – something still prevalent in the built environment given how much material is used and wasted every day. The book isn’t only about carbon reduction, it’s also about biodiversity and looking beyond sustainability as ‘doing less harm’ to taking a more proactive, regenerative approach; we must welcome nature back into our lives. This ties in well with what Architects Declare has been working on recently. The Regenerative Architecture Index encourages practices to support one another and share knowledge in how to practise in a way that leaves a positive legacy, co-evolves with nature and addresses climate justice.

Climate justice can be an opportunity to improve environmental, social and health outcomes. Designing homes with low energy consumption will simultaneously reduce carbon and address social issues such as fuel poverty. In Scotland, where I am based, statistics show that this is getting worse rather than better. Loach’s approach encourages you to always think about how you can work to address multiple injustices at once by seeing the connections between them.

We are at a crucial point of the Overton Window beginning to shift, hopefully towards more positive, regenerative ways of building. I try to remain optimistic that our profession can support this change, so long as we all do our part – however small.

For people who don't know anything about climate justice, I think this book could be really eye-opening. For those who are already engaged in climate justice, I believe it is a reaffirming and reenergising call to action.  

Chloe van Grieken is an associate at Hamilton Hay Van Jonker and a member of the Architects Declare UK Steering Group. She was speaking to Pamela Buxton

It's Not That Radical: Climate Action to Transform Our World, by Mikaela Loach, DK, 2023

See what other architects have chosen as their favourite books