Who Pays the Highest Price for Climate Change?
Climate change is an environmental issue, but it is also a matter of social and economic injustice. Living on the same planet, we live in different climates and thus not equally affected by the climate change. The global warming situation there affects some of the communities and groups more than the others to the extent and often these are the ones who have been the least contributors to the problem. Who really has to pay the most for the climate crisis? – That is the question ought to be answered!
Climate Injustice in Numbers
One of the latest reports of Oxfam (2020) confesses that the richest 10% of the world population use over 50% of the power that emits greenhouse gases. The lesser industrialized countries and the smaller communities, which in fact produce the least waste, are the greatest victims of the climate change – from droughts and floods to extreme weather events and the extinction of animals and plants.
Jason Hickel, an economist who has specialization in global inequalities, stated: “Climate change is not only about CO2; it’s also about power and colonial history. Those who have destroyed the environment with their action should take the blame.”
The Most Vulnerable to the Impact
- Poor Communities and Developing Countries
The countries of the Global South today have become battlefields for real impact on the climate issue. Bangladesh, Mozambique, and Haiti which are primary countries in the Global South are already intensely hit by the environmental crisis and they have been recognized by United Nations as same. The UNDP estimates that by 2050, at least 140 million people will have to leave their homes because of climate change. It is worth to mention that even though Bangladesh contributes less than 1% of the world’s carbon emissions, it will be one of the most severely affected countries in terms of sea-level rise. Just think about it, the whole community had to move and more and more people are planning to migrate due to climate change only.
- Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous people living across the globe have substantially less incentive to produce a certain amount. They are living at peace with nature, but forests are being destroyed for industrial projects, large scale logging, etc., and also the weather is transforming for the worse due to climate change. A non-profit organization such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reports that by 2022, more than 30% of the Amazon forest has been literally wiped out, that directly endangers the companies of the 400 native tribes there, their economies and their lives.
- Workers in Declining Industries
One of the transitions to renewable energy, if not done with social fairness, could result in potential harmful effects to society. Coal mining, at the same time, although mechanically intensive, has a lower level of environmental impact and is more labor-friendly than other jobs. As a result, coal mining in Silesia constitutes the area where the greatest number of women have access to the highest level of education. Based on OECD countries, the only energy source that has lower values of PI is natural gas, more specifically, renewable methane (N2). Furthermore, women start to degrade some ex-collieries more demurely than men due to prejudice. However, in such a condition, the ex-employees are deprived of their former livelihoods and the CAO can use the otherwise idle machinery to service some other project, for instance tower installation, which would generate a bigger profit for themselves since they can reuse the machinery they already have in stock.
- Youth
Youth will be the generation that lives with climate change much longer than the others that caused it. The European Environment Agency concluded that 80% of the potential economic loss from climate change by 2050 will result from the actions of future generations with respect to local climatic events.
A Bad Example: Pacific Islands – The Loss of Homeland
Countries such as Tuvalu and Kiribati are in fact disappearing because of the rising sea levels. Residents are organizing themselves for the mass migrations that they expect to occur only a matter of time from now as the communities are mostly uninhabitable. These countries hardly emit CO2, but they are still the ones to pay the price for the climate change incurred by the industrialization of the major world powers (UNFCCC, 2022).
A Good Example: Sweden – Investment in a Just Transition
One proof that the transition can be done without impacting people is Sweden, which is already practicing it. The country does not only make investments in the production of renewable energy but also the state can initiate the educational program for people who worked in fossil fuels, provide grants for them to become clean energy users, and make sure that there is a social security during the process of adaptation to climate policies (Swedish Institute for Environmental Policy, 2023).
How to Achieve a Fairer System?
The following are the key prerequisites for climate justice:
- Just transition – The transition to a green economy cannot be made without the implementation of social security for the affected workers.
- International financial support – Rich countries should guarantee the financing of the invention of the products for climate adaptation to poor states.
- Protection of indigenous communities – It is necessary to ensure that the rights of indigenous peoples are respected and that their ideas are given a chance to be included in the new technologies and adaptation solutions.
- The voice of youth – The young people have to take part in the process of decision-making concerning the things that will shape their future.
Climate change is not just an ecological disaster – it is a matter of justice. If we do not ensure that those who have contributed the most to the problem take responsibility, the consequences will become even deeper and more destructive.
The time for a fairer system is not tomorrow – it’s today.
#EUClimatePact #ClimateJustice #ActOnClimate #GreenTransition #MakeClimateJusticeReal #zoranpavletic
#EuropskiklimatskiambasadozaHrvatsku2025
As an ambassador of the European Climate Pact, I note that the views expressed in this article are my personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission or the European Climate Pact. – Zoran Pavletić
Author: Zoran Pavletić
Photos:
- https://x.com/jasonhickel
- Other photos: https://www.cleanpng.com/
