Introduction
Due to the increase in human activities, the planet has been undergoing some changes which have brought about inequality, the major one being poverty. In the past few years, there has been a rise in the number of debates that have been formulated on how to save the planet by addressing poverty. The topic of inequality (poverty) has consistently come up in conversations about climate change. It has generally been discussed concerning the ‘climate justice issue. However, this article’s main topic of debate has been disparities between nations. Before now, some researchers observed that inequality was getting worse due to climate change, and they supported this statement with data (Nazrul Islam & Winkel, 2017). The data is there to make the necessary links, which are needed when it comes to the economic variations and inadequate environmental impacts of climate change can be distinguished on a worldwide scale. It has been seen that poor people, countries, or regions tend to be more exposed to the impacts of climate change. Hence, it becomes more important to try and save the world by trying to solve the problem of poverty.
Climate Change and Human Activities
Climate change has been facilitated by the human need to progress and add to the productivity of their businesses. With the change came human-related greenhouse gas emissions have grown from a minimal level to more than 40 billion tons annually (Guivarch et al., 2021). When compared to the pre-industrial era, these emissions have raised the average yearly temperature by around 1 degree Celsius as they have accumulated in our atmosphere. Climate change has caused sea levels to rise, glaciers and ice caps to melt, and more regular and severe weather events like heat waves and droughts. Industries like agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, which may be most affected by climate change, are directly relied upon by many people in the least developed economies. People with the lowest incomes are more likely to rely on the natural resources that nature provides for their survival. According to Ebi and Hess (2020), the poorest populations are particularly vulnerable to any shock that affects their assets and sources because they rarely have access to basic health care or insurance. As a result, rising temperatures are exacerbated by disparities in access to affordable food and clean water.
Climate Changes and Poverty
Unchecked climate changes significantly impact inequality, poverty, and economic opportunities. Inequality and poverty are also contributing factors to climate change. Public support for policies, for instance, is directly influenced by social polarization and income disparity within nations (Hemous, 2021). Additionally, the historical contribution to climate change is incredibly uneven. With this, it urges discussion of taking action to solve the problem of poverty, which is a significant inequity. Environmental awareness groups started forming in the U.S. in the middle of the 20th century. A report linking environmentally hazardous waste sites to disproportionately polluted air, water, and soil in communities of color was produced in 1987 (Kemp-Neal, 2021). Environmental justice supporters contend that to combat climate change effectively, policy improvements must consider the different effects of ecological abuse and climate change on low-income communities of color. More data is still being compiled and investigated on how saving the planet requires addressing the issue of poverty.
According to the work of Bridget Hoffman (2021), when compared to whiter and richer people, minority and low-income groups have differing opinions regarding what constitutes an environmental issue. This causes scapegoating and many other forms of maltreatment, particularly in low-income countries. It is because the comparison between people of color and white in the USA have differing opinions regarding what constitutes an environmental issue. This causes scapegoating and many other forms of maltreatment, particularly in low-income countries. A good example is during the Covid-19 pandemic when more Black people suffered than white ones. With this, when President Joe Biden took office, he first signed an executive order (Kemp-Neal, 2021 pg. 309). The executive order made it possible for all U.S. citizens to have the same opportunities as it fought to address the issue so environmental racism.
Climate change has worsened the issue of poverty, making the inequality gap even bigger. It is believed that socially and economically disadvantaged populations bear the brunt of environmental risks, including climate change. When a disaster strikes, the poorest and most vulnerable individuals tend to be more exposed, lose more of their wealth and have fewer resources to deal with the effects, regardless of whether one is comparing countries or within one. But vulnerability is more than just a way to discuss how a natural disaster affects people (Jani, 2017). Poverty, inequality, and economic opportunity are all significantly impacted by environmental risk, increasing vulnerability to future environmental shocks. In the next ten years, it is anticipated that natural disasters and climate change will cause a hundred million people to fall into poverty, widening the gap between rich and poor nations in Latin America and the Caribbean (Hoffmann, 2021). Climate change and natural disasters have a greater impact on poor nations, regions, and populations; they still have fewer means of coping with their negative effects. This is because the impoverished often lose a larger proportion of their wealth when climate shocks occur.
Because they have fewer financial resources, less access to formal savings, credit, and insurance, and because they spend more of their budget on basic requirements, poor households are least equipped to deal with and recover from the negative effects of climatic shocks. Fortunately, nations may interrupt this cycle by strengthening social safety nets, implementing laws that help the poor better withstand the harmful effects of climatic shocks, and helping those most in need when natural catastrophes strike (Hoffmann, 2021). Therefore, finding the link between inequality (poverty) and climate change is important when looking for solutions. Poor countries suffer the most now and will continue to do so since Temperature rise is more likely to affect them (Diffenbaugh & Burke, 2019). Due to larger temperature-driven decreases in GDP per capita in the poorest countries, it is anticipated that the ratio between the top and bottom income deciles will be twenty-five percent larger today than it would have been in the absence of observed global warming.
For years now, it has been seen that millions of people have been able to escape extreme poverty as a result of global economic expansion, which has also reduced international disparities. Uncontrolled environmental change, in any case, represents a danger of switching this headway by sabotaging worldwide endeavors to destroy poverty and lopsidedly hurting the world’s least fortunate countries and populaces. In the meantime, efforts to reduce global warming may inadvertently worsen inequality if climate measures are too taxing on developing nations, particularly regarding healthcare (Ebi & Hess, 2020). Steps to lessen the burden on the poor and vulnerable domestically and internationally must supplement these activities. It is believed that reducing global warming is a requirement for sustainably raising living standards. At the same time, we insist that every phase of environmental policymaking must put distributive and procedural fairness first (Guivarch et al., 2021). In terms of development, creation, and execution, the goal of reducing emissions must be in service to more general goals, such as the eradication of deficiency and disparity, through enhancement of public health through improving their living standards.
Today the rich nations are contributing more to the issue of global warming. Greenhouse gas emissions are primarily correlated with a country’s level of wealth because the richest nations produce more than forty percent of CO2 emissions while producing only sixteen percent of the world’s population. However, they produce less than fifteen percent of global emissions, and the world’s poorest nations house roughly sixty percent of their inhabitants. Because of the increase in poverty brought on by climate change, inequality will increase, and development will be hampered. Net zero CO2 emissions must be reached by 2050, and worldwide emissions must decrease by twenty-five percent by 2030 to keep global temperature rising to 1.5°C (Guivarch et al., 2021). Because of the increase in poverty brought on by climate change, inequality will increase, and development will be hampered. Hence, it calls for strategies to be formulated which will help reduce the effects of climate change while simultaneously solving the issue of poverty.
Reducing Emission to Try and Save the Planet and Solve Poverty
Reducing emissions will reduce the effects of climate change and its disparate effects, but mitigation strategies must also consider how they affect inequality. Rich nations should set an example by adopting bold climate action. Fighting economic inequality must come before protecting the environment. The most defenseless members of society most acutely feel the repercussions of environmental harm. It has been seen that some of the health issues people are experiencing are a result of climate change, which at times brings about environmental racism (Salas, 2021). Children are getting sick with conditions such as pediatric asthma for kids due to breathing polluted air. This, adding to the economic injustice, also makes environmental harm worse. Policy design can ensure that climate initiatives do not harm the most vulnerable people. Plans for carbon price redistribution can balance the detrimental effects on the poor and even result in net gains. According to Henderson (2014), solving the climate issue, more than just changing the way capitalism works, will not aid much. It will require the policies in place by businesses to find better energy sources and maintain their competitive advantage.
In addition to changing the mean and variability of meteorological variables and the rate of sea level rise, climate change negatively influences people’s health in many locations. If proactive measures are not taken to mitigate and adapt to climate change, healthcare costs are expected to rise over the next few decades. As a result, the World Bank is currently the main multilateral financier of climate action in developing nations (Nishio, 2021). By concentrating on assisting nations with large-scale investments in clean energy to keep them from becoming ensnared in polluting infrastructure and assist them in achieving their objectives for energy availability. Instead, it calls for cross-interest groups, cross-border cooperation, and knowledge sharing. It will prove to be a good/best approach to promote economic prosperity, spur innovation, and uphold personal and political freedom has always been through competitive markets (Henderson, 2014). However, regarding carbon, neither true capitalism nor fully efficient markets exist. It is undeniably true that reforms intended to reduce established companies’ dominance would benefit political action on climate change.
In contrast to the conventional internal combustion engine, diesels and hybrids employ different engines and fuels. Because they consume less petrol and emit less greenhouse gases than traditional automobiles and trucks, these technologies both promise notable benefits in fuel economy. A diesel hybrid car can cut carbon dioxide emissions per mile by 65 percent when the two technologies are combined (Guivarch et al., 2021). The current greenhouse gas emissions in the United States might be reduced by 10 to 24 percent by blending biofuels with gasoline (Guivarch et al., 2021). The most popular fuel in the United States is ethanol made from corn. In the future, increased savings may be possible thanks to cellulosic ethanol and sugarcane-based ethanol.
Consequently, cutting emissions and adaptation plans must be implemented to lessen the vulnerability of the most exposed communities to the effects of climate change. This entails offering the poorest populations additional insurance options and improved health care. The 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change prioritized raising national mitigation goals and reducing climate change that worsens inequality. The success of these discussions hinges on paying close attention to the complex relationships between reducing inequality and combating climate change (Nishio, 2021). While at this war against poverty and climate change, a game-changer has realized the comprehensive, linked nature of problems and solutions. Hence, enhancing disease monitoring and pandemic lab capabilities also improves a nation’s capacity to respond to risks from communicable diseases caused by climate change (World Bank, 2020). There is a lot of potential for expanding clean technologies and green jobs in low-carbon and resilient development. Investments in sustainable energy availability and clean cooking technologies can benefit the poorest areas and populations.
Conclusion
To conclude, the vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, because they have the potential to harm human health and result in mortality, those with chronic illnesses, those with mobility issues, the poor and isolated, Black and Indigenous populations, other people of color, specific occupational groups, women, and girls will be more affected by climate change. The severity, duration, and frequency of certain weather and climate events are rising due to climate change, which also changes how energy is transferred between elements. Because they are based on particular characteristics, like how well a nation has adapted to its environment, the advantages of adaptation can be challenging to quantify (Georgieva et al., 2022). However, well-designed strategies can result in significant profits. Therefore, if nothing is done to slow down and adapt to climate change, the environmental effects will only worsen, undermining development and the fight against poverty. While poverty refers to people who fall below a certain income threshold or may not have access to basic requirements, inequality refers to variations in income or wealth over the entire distribution range.
References
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