Intellectual Justice as Climate Action

Sor Juana's fierce defense of women's intellectual capacity and her insistence on rigorous study across disciplines illuminate how climate justice depends on universal access to knowledge. She challenged systems that gatekept learning; today, climate action requires that all communities—especially Indigenous peoples and Global South populations most affected—have voice in scientific dialogue and policy formation. When knowledge remains concentrated among privileged institutions in wealthy nations, climate solutions reflect narrow interests rather than collective survival. Sor Juana's model of the thinking person as a moral agent suggests that climate responsibility begins with ensuring everyone can understand, question, and contribute to environmental science and decision-making. Intellectual humility and curiosity—her hallmarks—counter the arrogance that treats some voices as authoritative and others disposable.