Can we solve the climate crisis without confronting global inequities?
A recent study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA found that white residents in the USA produce more climate pollution than black or hispanic residents, but black and hispanic people are exposed to more air pollution.
And that is just the USA! Think about the global inequities in the "haves" and the "have nots".
And how are we going to lift people out of poverty without making the climate crisis even worse?
If you are a resident in a wealthy country, is it your responsibility to address both problems at once? And what would that look like in terms of national and international policy?
Environmental Justice >
Global Cooperation
If you really want to tackle climate change, we have to face up to global inequity. These vulnerable countries get hit the hardest, even though they’ve contributed the least. For example, between 1990 and 2015, the richest 1% emitted twice as much carbon as the poorest 50%(Oxfam). Wealthy nations haven’t just polluted more, they’ve also fallen short on their promises, like the $100 billion climate finance goal, which hinders developing nations' capacity for adaptation. There are also huge gaps in how much people consume around the world. If we want real progress, we need to share the responsibility equally to achieve global cooperation and sustainability.