Justice Through Intellectual Accountability

Sor Juana's writings consistently confronted power—religious authorities, male scholars, colonial structures—demanding they justify themselves intellectually rather than hiding behind institutional position. This accountability framework applies to contemporary climate institutions: universities extracting knowledge from communities without benefit-sharing, think tanks funded by fossil fuel interests, scientists whose research enables greenwashing, development agencies imposing solutions that deepen dependency. Justice requires transparency about funding sources, tracing whose interests research serves, and creating accountability mechanisms when knowledge production harms communities. This includes supporting climate refugees to sue corporations for damages, demanding reparations from wealthy nations for climate debt, and holding international bodies accountable to affected populations. Intellectual accountability recognizes that knowledge is never neutral—it either serves liberation or domination. By insisting on transparency and consequence, we create space for climate knowledge that serves justice rather than profit.