The Right to Education as Environmental Justice

Sor Juana fought fiercely for women's education in 17th-century Mexico, viewing knowledge access as inseparable from human dignity and freedom. She recognized that denying education reinforces subjugation. In climate justice contexts, this principle becomes urgent: communities most vulnerable to climate impacts often have least access to environmental education, scientific training, and decision-making platforms. Climate apartheid reproduces educational inequity—wealthy nations fund climate research while developing nations lack resources for climate literacy or adaptation science. Sor Juana's legacy demands we treat climate education as a right, not a privilege. This means investing in STEM education in marginalized communities, centering Indigenous environmental knowledge in curricula, and ensuring that frontline communities lead climate solution design. Educational equity is climate equity; both require recognizing human potential and agency regardless of geography, gender, or economic status.