From Gaza to LA, The Right to Remain is Under Attack
Aditi Mayer argues that ‘domicide’ is a global pattern that produces threat through both war and climate inaction. She defines domicide as the deliberate destruction of a home by human action, resulting in the loss of physical shelter, cultural identity, and a sense of belonging. To illustrate this point, she connects two events: the Israeli military's bombardment of Gaza and recent raids by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Los Angeles. In Gaza, the violence of war has led to the destruction of most of its buildings and the displacement of 90% of its population. Mayer contrasts this with the 'slow violence' of climate change, which also renders places uninhabitable, as is the case in Pacific Island nations. She also applies the framework of domicide to Los Angeles, where communities already affected by wildfires caused by climate change are then targeted by ICE raids. She sees these actions, the bombardment in Gaza and the raids in Los Angeles, as being linked by a common outcome: the deliberate displacement of people and the destruction of the places they call home. She concludes that the fight for climate justice is fundamentally a fight for the right to remain.
