Burden Reversal Through Question-Asking

Sor Juana masterfully deployed questions rather than assertions, forcing her antagonists to justify their positions while she maintained intellectual high ground. In climate justice, this method reverses the burden of proof: instead of marginalized communities proving they deserve protection from climate harm, we demand that corporations and governments justify their extraction and emissions. This questioning approach refuses to accept the framing that climate action is burden-sharing; instead, it exposes who caused the crisis and who profits from inaction. Sor Juana's strategy teaches us to interrogate dominant narratives rather than debate on imposed terms. For climate movements, this means asking: Why do fossil fuel companies control climate policy? Who benefits from delayed action? Why do wealthy nations export pollution to poor countries? By shifting to the questioner's position, we reclaim power and force accountability without accepting false compromise.