Confronting the Dangers of Disciplinarity: A Care-Based Approach to Climate Justice

In this article, we draw on four years of extensive, cross-disciplinary research experience to discuss the dangers of disciplinary research on climate justice and propose a care-based, collaborative approach to research on the climate crisis. We contend that the currently promoted fragmented disciplinary approach, which disembeds climate science from larger climate justice considerations, obscures important socio-political factors at play, such as the legacy of historical injustices and the obstruction of environmental policies by groups with vested interests in the existing status quo. At the same time, studying climate justice concerns without referencing climate science, can lead to an oversimplification of scientific debates and contribute to a misleading perception of climate science as a monolith. We highlight these risks through the use of two case studies. First, we examine the interconnections between scientific and socio-political considerations in the case of increasing droughts and water shortages in Santiago, Chile, which would be missed by a technical solutions-oriented approach. Second, we critically analyze the challenges of the New York New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries Study, which aims to prepare New York and New Jersey for rising sea levels. We argue that one of the key obstacles to a successful flood protection plan stemmed from the Army Corps of Engineers' exclusive engineering focus, which sidelined important economic, social, and political considerations in their engagement with affected communities. In this context, we also highlight the danger of proposed engineering solutions to environmental problems that do not adequately consider potential side effects and risks to the environment and human societies. To counter these challenges and risks, we propose a care-based approach to cross-disciplinary research efforts on the climate crisis. Drawing on feminist care ethics, we argue that a care-based research approach provides a crucial intervention into currently deadlocked cross-disciplinary debates by providing a set of guiding questions that can facilitate dialogue and learning between different disciplines. Countering disciplinary myopia, we therefore underline the need to continuously engage in respectful encounters between different disciplines. In doing so, we seek to encourage experimentation and ongoing collaborative research, which advances both knowledge and facilitates action to promote climate justice. A call that becomes existential in view of the global wave of democratic backsliding, which is threatening to undermine any nascent efforts for care of the environment and society.