WHO IS IMPACTED THE MOST BY CLIMATE CHANGE?

 

WHO IS IMPACTED THE MOST BY CLIMATE CHANGE?

You say you love your children above all else, and yet you are stealing their future in front of their very eyes. 

Greta Thunberg, Climate activist and Founder of Climate School Strike

Climate change is and will continue to harm all of us unless governments take action. However, its effects are likely to be much more pronounced for certain groups – for example, those communities dependent on agricultural or coastal livelihoods – as well as those who are generally already vulnerable, disadvantaged and subject to discrimination. 

These are some of the ways climate change can and is exacerbating inequalities:

• Between developed and developing nations:

At a national level, those in low-lying, small island states and less developed countries will be and already are among those worst affected. People in the Marshall Islands already regularly experience the devastating flooding and storms that destroy their homes and livelihoods. The 2021 heatwave in North America made headlines across Europe and North America, but some of the worst effects of global warming were also felt in places like Pakistan. Temperatures in Jacobadad hit a staggering 52°C – hotter than the human body can stand — and electricity blackouts compounded the misery of millions without access to air conditioning or clean water.

• Between different ethnicities and classes:

The effects of climate change and fossil fuel-related pollution also run along ethnicity and class lines. In North America, it is largely poorer communities of colour who are forced to breathe toxic air because their neighbourhoods are more likely to be situated next to power plants and refineries. They experience markedly higher rates of respiratory illnesses and cancers, and African Americans are three times more likely to die of airborne pollution than the overall US population. 

• Between genders:

Women and girls are disproportionately affected by climate change, reflecting the fact that they are more likely in many countries to be marginalized and disadvantaged. For example, women are often confined to roles and jobs that make them more reliant on natural resources. Because they face barriers in accessing financial or technical resources or are denied land ownership, they are less able to adapt to climate change. This means that they are more at risk from the impacts of climate-related events as they are less able to protect themselves against it and will find it harder to recover.

• Between generations:

Future generations will experience the worsening effects unless action is taken now by governments. However, children and young people are already suffering due to their specific metabolism, physiology and developmental needs. This means, for example, that the forced displacement experienced by communities impacting a whole range of rights – from water, sanitation and food to adequate housing, health, education and development – is likely to be particularly harmful to children.

• Between communities:

Indigenous peoples are among the communities most impacted by climate change. Due to a close interrelationship with the natural world, as well as in some cases a history of expropriations and forced evictions, they often live in marginal lands and fragile ecosystems which are particularly sensitive to alterations in the physical environment. They maintain a close connection with nature and their traditional lands on which their livelihoods and cultural identity depend. Despite having important knowledge about the natural environment of their territories and playing a crucial role in the conservation of biodiversity and natural resources, they are often excluded from climate decision-making, including when climate-related initiatives encroach on their lives and territories.