Although climate change is a global phenomenon that affects us all, the burden of its effects is distributed very unequally. The world’s richest 85 individuals have as much wealth as the 3.5 billion poorest, according to a report by the United Nations. The colossal disparities between the world’s rich and poor are a primary cause of climate injustice, as climate change only exacerbates the existing imbalances. As wealthy countries refuse, in the name of profit, to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and fight global warming effectively, they shift the burden of climate change onto already marginalized communities.
Impoverished communities are “the real losers” of climate change, according to Thomas Loster, geographer and Chair of the Munich Re Foundation. They are more susceptible to the adverse effects of climate change due to increased vulnerability and exposure, and they often lack the resources to manage climate change and minimize damage. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirms that “the effects of climate change are expected to be greatest in developing countries in terms of loss of life and relative effects on investment and the economy.” Wealthy countries are far better equipped to adapt to climate change than poorer countries, which lack the infrastructure and resources required to mitigate its consequences. With the disparity of wealth comes a disparity in the ability to cope with climate change.
Those who continue to profit from greenhouse gas emissions to the detriment of the environment must be held accountable. Oil companies generate billions in profit, and the world’s poorest and most vulnerable are left to deal with the ramifications – this is the pinnacle of injustice. The implementation of laws penalizing companies that fail to limit and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions is a necessary, if insufficient, first step.
Industrialized countries also bear most of the responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S., China, and the European Union are responsible for 56 per cent of the world’s CO2 emissions, while per capita CO2 emissions from fossil fuel use and cement production were highest for Australia, the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and Canada, according to the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency’s 2013 report. Because the world’s poor remain the most affected by climate change while being the least responsible for it, it is “only fair and reasonable that the developed world should bear most of the responsibility” when it comes to fighting global warming, in the words of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Indeed, “those who have most responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions and most capacity to act must cut emissions first,” according to the principles of climate justice cited by the Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice.
Impoverished communities are “the real losers” of climate change
Climate change also increasingly displaces individuals, who are left with no recourse under international law. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), approximately 22 million people were displaced in 2013 by natural disasters, with developing countries accounting for more than 85 per cent of the cases. The IDMC’s 2014 report on displacement indicates that “the latest scientific evidence shows that anthropogenic climate change has already altered the magnitude and frequency of extreme weather events in some regions, and that such extremes have become more unpredictable,” thus contributing to increased levels of displacement in the future.
Residents of areas affected by rising sea levels are being forced to leave their homes, as their quality of life is deteriorating at a rapid pace due to the effect on agriculture and the scarcity of drinking water. Inhabitants of these islands and coastal areas suffer from droughts, water contamination, and food shortages due to their inability to grow crops on soil that has been rendered infertile by the intrusion of sea water. Enele Sopoaga, Prime Minister of Tuvalu, compared global warming to weapons of mass destruction, as it threatens the survival of the island nation.
Individuals displaced by climate change must be afforded consideration by international law so as not to find themselves without protection.
At present, international refugee law does not accommodate individuals who are displaced by climate change. The UN News Centre reports that “Ioane Teitiota, a Kiribati national, lost his asylum appeal in New Zealand this past May in a case that would have made him the world’s first-ever ‘climate change refugee.’” New Zealand authorities based this decision on the 1951 Refugee Convention, which defines a refugee as someone who “has a well-founded fear of persecution because of [their] race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion.” Individuals displaced by climate change are therefore not awarded refugee status and the protection warranted by this status.
José Riera, Senior Advisor in the UN refugee agency’s Division of International Protection, explains that “in the case of cross-border movement, we’re looking at a gaping legal hole.” Therefore, exerting pressure on governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and taking measures to expand climate change adaptation programs is insufficient. Individuals displaced by climate change must be afforded consideration by international law so as not to find themselves without protection.
Climate justice is the notion that the burdens of climate change and its resolution must be shared equitably among peoples. We must recognize the disparate ways in which people are harmed by climate change, and the systems that drive this inequality, if we want to achieve climate justice.