Victims as victims

The more I learn about climate change, the less fair it seems. And the IPCC report is only reinforcing this view. My overall impression from the reading is as follows: poor populations are done for. It seems that the most severe climate effects are the worst for developing regions and poverty-stricken people. Page 14 notes that “[V]ulnerability to climate change can be exacerbated by other stresses,” including “[C]urrent climate hazards, poverty and unequal access to resources, food insecurity, trends in economic globalisation, conflict and incidence of diseases such as HIV/AIDS.” But all of these stresses seem to be symptoms of poverty.

As if this weren’t bad enough, it seems to me that the most severe consequences climate change has to offer will be present in typically poorer regions. Asia has a projected decrease in freshwater availability, particular in large river basins—where the majority of the populations live. Those living in megadelta regions will be at great risk for flooding, and all will be more susceptible to death from disease associated with flood and drought. In Central and South America, temperature increases are projected to replace tropical forests with savannah. For those that get their livelihoods from the forests, including but not limited to many indigenous populations, this could be detrimental. Those living off the land in a pastoral sense will also fall victim to climate change: crop and livestock productivity is projected to decline, exacerbating food insecurity already present in many areas and increasing the continent’s hunger. Glacier and precipitation will be affected as well, reducing amounts of water available for consumption, energy, and agriculture.

And these examples are only a speck compared to the dust storm of adverse effects that climate change will bring, particularly to poverty-stricken peoples. I feel that this is so unfair not just because people will be suffering—it is that the people suffering will be the ones who have not made the problem as severe as it now is. Like so frequently happens, the rich west is making problems and letting the poor take the fall for them. The report mentions several times that wealthier people will be less severely affected. I fail to see how this is alright, considering the wealthier populations bought their 14-mile per gallon SUVs and leave their lights on for days straight.

But it gets worse: the report mentions dozens of ways that we could be stopping climate change through legislation in wealthier countries, but we refuse to because of the omnipotent economy-god. The masses refuse to do anything that could hurt GDP, even though in 50 years famine and drought probably won’t help it.