When communities and movements talk about climate and environmental justice, solidarity is often at the center of the conversation. But the question becomes: How do we achieve global solidarity when the scales are so unbalanced, the challenges are separated by so much space and time, and time seems so fleeting?
I believe it starts with seeking to bridge the gaps of space and time through community building across geographic boundaries. If we do this, we can identify patterns of injustice and intervene before decades pass and the problem grows.
In 2024, while in Cambodia on a semester-long study abroad program with a cohort of 18 other American students, my colleagues and I had the opportunity to tour the Lower Sesan II Dam—the largest dam in Cambodia, accounting for nearly 20 percent of Cambodia’s national grid. The project, which was in development from the 1990s on, has been operational since 2017. Building the dam took a little over four years and cost two multinational companies (China Huaneng Group and Royal Group of Cambodia) roughly 781 million USD. Built on the Sesan River, the dam was part of the Chinese government’s “Belt and Road Initiative,” which sought to expand its “foreign policy interests.” The Cambodian government’s stated aim is for the dam to provide enough energy to stop power outages and further develop the country.
In full: https://nonprofitquarterly.org/bridging-for-environmental-justice-across-space-and-time-cambodia-and-the-us-south/
