Sopheap is one of thousands of workers in Cambodia and around the world that have had to adjust their lives due to climate change and carbon colonialism. The 40 year old mother of three collects, sorts, and sells clothes that are dumped into Cambodia by the ton. She works through heat waves to earn a living from the discards of the fast fashion industry in the Global North. Sopheap is invisible to the world, hidden behind the curtain that companies have drawn to cover their impacts. Laurie Parsons describes the way colonial narratives and ideas are perpetuated through the phrasing of “sustainability” as they send their emissions and waste to the rest of the world. Decolonizing climate change means uncovering the hidden figures in sustainability and demanding accountability from the parties that center environmental action around disproportionate power dynamics. True sustainable climate action will come when Sopheap, and everyone affected by inequalities, are seen and included in the movement along with an end to abusive supply chains. Photo credit: Jake Chessum/Trunk Archive
