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 >
Environmental Justice
I think that slowing down our collective carbon emissions as a country is a group effort, and it will take contribution from everyone in different areas. However, I do think that a large part of the responsibility lies with the larger organizations and companies that contribute largely to the climate crisis by using private jets, inefficient energy usage, etc. I think that there are small things that we each can do to try and slow down the effects of climate change, but the bulk of it shouldn't rest on people that have less resources and are already in areas with more pollution because of the actions of other organizations. In terms of national policies, I think it's important that we stop cutting down so many trees, monitor our energy usage, and work towards more eco-friendly transportation.Research concludes that we have around 7 years until the earth's heat gets to a dangerous point, but it still may not be too late to stop some of the more permanent and drastic effects of climate change. This tells us that we still have time to put official policies in place that will contribute to saving the planet. At the end of the day, there are things that we all can do to take better care of our environment, but it's important to acknowledge where the most harm is coming from.