This blog is a learning resource as part of Youth4Nature’s Unearth Voices Storytelling Campaign.
Preface: On Political Power
Political power is the ability to shape decision-making, set agendas, and influence ideological beliefs and positions. It is particularly applicable to matters concerning governance, legislation and the rule of law. Key institutional actors embroiled in political power are governments, parliaments, senates, local authorities, lobbying and advocacy groups, activists and social movements, courts and justice systems, and security and defence forces. At an individual level, people are implicated in political power when engaging in activities such as voting, electoral campaigning, advocacy and activism, town halls, local assemblies, high-level processes under intergovernmental and regional entities (UN, African Union, EU, ASEAN, IMF), and political debates.
How do laws and legislation come to be? Who dictates the national priorities of a country? Why are certain ideas and projects implemented, and others not? Should an infrastructure development happen or not in a given location? How much money should be allocated to different government departments? The answers to these are mediated through political power.
How does political power affect climate-nature planning, financing and solutions?
A key pillar of environmental action is decision-making and governance. Historically, decisions and actions to conserve and manage nature have been highly dependent on local practices and beliefs that vastly differ across the world, at times unified in certain regions under imperial, colonial and similar regimes, but still without a global universal purpose or goal. This began to change over time with the advent of industrialisation, developments in science, and the formation of modern nation-states and countries, with environmental governance becoming more centralised under national and local authorities.
In the second half of the 20th century, increasing concerns over sustainability led to efforts for global collaboration under the newly formed United Nations (UN), propelled by an acknowledgement that many environmental issues are not confined within borders, neither in cause nor in consequence. Since then, UN conventions and mechanisms have been central not only to promote a universal front against environmental challenges, but to shape environmental laws and policies implemented at national and local levels. Renown examples of these include the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030, the UNFCCC’s Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, and the UN CBD’s Aichi Targets and Kunming-Montreal Framework.
At present, climate and biodiversity planning, financing and solutions across the world are highly dependent on these UN processes, as well as on regional, national and local politics, including the ideologies and agendas of those in power and of those able to influence that power. The resulting agreements, commitments, policies and laws from these processes determine steps taken, both directly through government implementation and indirectly by encouraging or discouraging community and civil action.
CASE STUDY: Political Power, Environmental/Land Defenders and Justice Systems in Zambia
Written by Y4N Global Ambassador, Chipasha Keran
In the last decade, the language of “rights” and “accountability” has become more and more common within political discussions on climate and nature, especially bringing wider long-standing concerns from the Global South and indigenous communities into the environmental sphere: historical responsibility for emissions, land rights, right to access and use natural resources, right to a clean environment. At the forefront of this shift have been environmental and land defenders, organised individuals and groups who take action against governments, projects and developments that infringe on nature and local communities. This action can take the form of court challenges/litigation, lawful protest and civil disobedience.
A story detailing the personal experiences of Keran, a young environmental defender, including what led him into activism and what he has achieved so far.
Using Zambian as an example, below are the ways in which political power influences environmental/human rights defending.
National legislation and regulation
Governments enact laws and regulations that directly affect environmental/human rights protection, defending or advocacy. For example, in Zambia, the enactment of a cybercrime and cybersecurity law in 2024 resulted in movements and organisations failing to condemn or denounce the actions of companies and the government online, making it difficult to advocate for environmental and other human rights, with a risk of being jailed. Furthermore, the government is made up of politicians who possess political power to influence policies and make regulations on matters such as resource extraction. This makes it more difficult because activists do not get support from the government despite pronouncements of commitment to environmental protection.
Enforcement
Environmental regulations and their enforcement tactics and processes can be really poor and weak, with a huge negative impact. In Zambia, the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) is mandated to regulate, monitor and track any environmental abuse. However, since projects that affect the environment are run by politicians, activists and advocates for environmental protection can face tough criticism, arrest and jail on the pretext of not obeying the same EMA.
Political will
The commitment of political leaders to environmental issues significantly impacts the effectiveness of environmental policies. Strong political will can drive ambitious environmental initiatives and effective implementation. For example, the ability of citizens to challenge environmentally damaging projects or policies may be affected by the interests and powers of those involved. In the case of Zambia, mining is the country’s main source of national income; therefore, it holds more political influence, and this impacts how environmental regulations are applied to mining activities and the extent to which the industry is held accountable.
Resource allocation and prioritisation
Governments are run by politicians who are in control of the budgets and secure other alternative funding for various policies, rules and regulations. It is not uncommon for environmental protection to receive little to no funding in the national budget. For example, Zambia is one of the countries that was severely hit by droughts that were climate change-induced, yet the budget towards environmental protection was estimated at 0.01%, with the possibility of reducing it further. This results in low and poor execution of environmental protection activities.
Furthermore, even investments and funds secured abroad can be destined to mining, extractive agricultural practices and other exploitative activities, while activists and environmental defenders secure nothing. This makes it difficult to execute environmental defence and protection effectively. In addition, environmental concerns often compete with other priorities such as economic development, national security and others. In addition, because of their personal interests, politicians might favour a focus on issues that enhance their security and well-being over environmental issues.
Environmental public awareness
Public engagement and awareness can put pressure on the government to adopt, enforce stronger environmental policies. Additionally, environmental movements and advocacy groups play an important role in shaping public opinion, influencing political discourse and advocating for policy changes. For example, the Zambia Climate Change Network mobilised environmental organisations in Zambia and successfully advocated for the enactment of the Climate Change Bill into the law of Zambia. Also, the strength and effectiveness of environmental movements, organisations, and coalitions can differ based on factors such as social mobilisation and political context.
Political stability and good governance
Stable political systems are often suitable for long-term environmental planning and investment, as they can come with a predictable policy environment. However, corruption undermines environmental protection/defence efforts by diverting resources, weakening regulations and blocking effective enforcement. For example, in Zambia, under the Patriotic Front regime, the focus was more on power maintenance than environmental protection, and it led to the issuance of a mining concession licence to a mining company in a national park (Lower Zambezi National Park). This brought criticism, and it called for solidarity among organisations and environmental defenders to block this.
Influence on justice frameworks
A government’s decision on climate-related laws and regulations directly impacts the legal basis for climate litigation. Stronger environmental laws create more opportunities for legal challenges, while weaker ones might limit the scope of cases. The government’s commitment to climate action influences public perception and can affect the willingness of the court to hold them accountable for inadequate measures. For example, there is the current case in Zambia where Sino Metals spilt acid into Chambeshi River, which destroyed crops, killed aquatic life and polluted water. Organisations teamed up and sued the perpetrators, and even though such processes and procedures under the government take time, the impact is advancing.
Further, the separation of powers can also be a factor. Some courts may hesitate to intervene in what is seen as a political matter, especially if there is no clear legal basis for doing so, while others may see it as their role to hold governments accountable for climate inaction. Polarisation around climate change can create challenges for climate litigation, while others may see it as a legitimate tool for change, and others may see it as an attempt to politicise the judiciary. At the same time, climate litigation can sensitise the public and mount pressure on governments, while helping to hold corporations accountable for their contributions to climate change, especially if political processes to address matters like loss and damage are slow or ineffective.
All in all, environmental and land defenders are one of the main civil society actors who engage in political struggles surrounding climate-nature planning. They contest plans and projects often led by governments or government-approved entities, both for not aligning with existing rights-based legislation and guidance, and for not considering human rights and nature in spite of their legality. As a result, environmental and land defenders often face threats, harassment, criminalisation and persecution by decision-making authorities and security/defence forces. Their situation is especially tenuous in countries with corrupt and authoritarian officials, and with historically marginalised indigenous and traditional communities. Still, their contribution to climate-nature action is immesurable.
If you are someone or know someone who has been involved in activism, court challenges or environmental/landing defending that has impacted climate-nature legislation and planning, we want to hear about it! Whether it is a success story that shares how to overcome barriers or a learning experience on how challenges should be addressed, that story deserves to be told and heard. And we can publish it anonymously if needed.