Despite its history of colonialism, slavery, and exploitation that has led to a deterioration of its environmental and social fabrics, the Caribbean has not been at the centre of mainstream environmental justice discourse. However, there are deep lessons to be learnt from centring the region.

In this paper, we argue that Puerto Rico's status as a Commonwealth of the United States (U.S.) influenced the nature and outcome of the U.S. Federal Government's response to Hurricane Maria in 2017. Its response was marked by unnecessary delays, silence, and the withholding of information, and the prioritisation of bureaucracy, evidencing the disposability of Black and brown lives and bodies, and signalling the need to collectively leverage the power of an environmental justice agenda. For this to be achieved, we further argue, a people's right to sovereignty and indispensability must be centred.

The dynamic construction of law and marine space is illustrated by the socio-legal history of the Seaflower marine biosphere reserve over 20 years (2000–2021). From its establishment to its fragmentation and rejuvenation, the marine reserve has served the purposes of territorialisation, a space to be claimed by the states to exercise control over the people and the marine resources on the basis of international law.

Realising climate justice for the Caribbean part of the Dutch Kingdom cannot be reached through international agreements and policies. The internal structure of the Kingdom currently prevents this from happening and the gaps in protection have not been filled by EU policies or by an internal long-term climate strategy for the islands. Climate litigation could be a viable opportunity for enforcing the duty of care towards the Caribbean islands.

Proposed economic development projects often result in environmental injustices. Communities that are in proximity to these development projects seek consultation and recognition as part of the development process. Without these barriers the halting of these projects may not result.

The paper applies the dimensions of environmental justice to unpack the politics, narratives and power relations that shape local justice claims and climate change adaptation pathways, while taking into account the capitalist market system in which the Jamaican specialty coffee industry operates. Findings reveal that, despite smallholder coffee farmers facing multiple stressors, industry leaders have continued to operate the island's major coffee-producing spaces as areas where profit can be mined and privileges reinforced. Consequently, the smallholder livelihoods embedded within Jamaica’s coffee-producing landscapes have been subjected to asymmetrical structures of power which legitimize whose voices are heard and which adaptation pathway takes precedence; thus generating injustices, nurturing vulnerabilities, and stifling agency.

Researchers from institutions of higher education who conduct studies in the Caribbean often rely on local knowledge and support to produce scientific publications that could inform resource management. However, such research remains largely inaccessible to local communities because of the proprietary nature of the current knowledge ecosystem in academia. This commentary proposes knowledge repatriation as a means of advancing decolonial research efforts within higher education.