Heritage as Agency for Climate Action and Justice in the Anglophone Caribbean

The islands of the Caribbean have experienced an enduring relationship with climatic challenges from their earliest occupation thousands of years ago. However, the ongoing effects of the warming of our climate present interesting intersections between heritage, climate action, and justice in the region. These include centering heritage as a catalyst for climate action to support the voices of communities in the Caribbean that have been affected historically, are still affected by climate change, and have been caught up in unjust actions that have disrupted socio-ecological relationships. In discussing the interconnectedness of these areas, this chapter considers how responses to climate challenges across the region highlight how past climate injustices continue today and have contributed to a disconnect in relation to how communities interact with and safeguard their heritage, as well as view its value in supporting climate action. To articulate these challenges, historical and contemporary processes, actions, and examples from the Anglophone Caribbean are highlighted as a lens to interrogate the role of heritage in supporting climate action and justice and its intersection with the perceptions of communities regarding ongoing climate change and how it impacts and affects the stewardship, safeguarding and relationship with heritage today.