Climate change is one of the most significant challenges facing our world today, and it has far-reaching consequences for both the environment and the economy. While most of the world population is adversely affected by climate change, some industries in some countries end up benefiting from the warming climate—a complexity often ignored in climate justice. In this article, Kian Mintz-Woo and Justin Leroux tackle the complex issue of what climate winners owe to climate losers.

Traditionally, discussions of climate change have focused on the negative impacts, such as rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and ecosystem disruptions. This is natural because negative impacts are predominant—and many of them are truly devastating. However, there are also some positive effects, such as longer growing seasons, expanded shipping routes, and increased property values in certain areas. For example, a warming climate can make agriculture viable in northern latitudes of Canada and Russia, but also in mountainous areas in the tropics [1].