If not in your backyard, then whose?
When people around the globe have only gradually started to recover from trauma and repercussions unleashed by the Covid-19 pandemic, our path is beset with mightier crises ranging from the economic slowdown, polarized international relations, and war threats to population explosion and climate change. Following this trail of thoughts, this article examines global concerns of climate change that have become all the more ensuing and calls for urgent and credible action if we wish to have a home for our future generations.
Before dissecting climate change as we see it today, it is imperative we reach the roots to identify how the seeds were sown. The story dates back to times when superpowers of the global North heralded their reign of colonialism, imperialism, and slavery to exploit the LDCs (least developed countries) for resources like oil, gas, minerals, and cheap labor. The industrial revolution that boomed a couple of centuries back should share major blame for how conditions have unfolded in today’s time. The motive of selfish gains and welfare of the wealthier nations of the north has completely jeopardized the future of people in developing countries today. This brings us to discuss a new addition to the climate dictionary- Climate Justice. Climate justice is a concept that addresses the just division, fair sharing, and equitable distribution of the burdens of climate change and its mitigation and responsibilities to deal with climate change. According to facts, the richest countries today like the US, Canada, and Japan are accountable for over 50 percent of greenhouse emissions, resource extraction, and mismanagement for centuries now. But quite ironically, it is the countries that have contributed the least to climate change that are being penalized the most, almost as if world maps are inverted while analyzing the incidence and impact of climate change. It is countries and communities that are the least prepared and most deprived of resources and technology that are abandoned to fight the battle alone whilst the culprits treat themselves with luxuries and vacations as they desire.
The UN estimates show that by 2050 there will be about 1 billion ‘climate refugees’; yet another new addition to the dictionary - are majorly people from marginalized communities and indigenous/racial minorities, women, children, and poverty-stricken masses who are untainted with the complexities of capitalism, industrialization, and climate change. All they did was feed their families and desperately tried staying out of poverty- only to fail and live in abject misery for generations together. Even as we speak today, it is the developed countries that sit with shut borders, totally unaccepting of migrants from poorer countries, suffering from the unparalleled impacts of climate change and global warming. Historical injustice is also exacerbated by the current dynamics of power sharing and resource mobilization patterns. Most of the oil and infrastructure sightings, resource extraction, and construction activities usually take place in areas inhabited by minorities and underprivileged communities. They are considered to be easily exploitable being cut off from mainstream society and thus, bear the brunt of a gamut of consequences of ‘national development’ being pitted against their interests.
This can be best explained using the ‘Not in my backyard’ or often abbreviated as the NIMBY syndrome often observed in behaviors of segments of the globe that are perceived to be advanced and developed. It is a phenomenon where people are averse to locating undesirable elements in their ‘backyard’ or surroundings and tactfully export disturbances in their vicinity to places out of the equation initially. In layman's terms, this process of shifting the blame of miscreants to innocents is referred to as NIMBY. A very popular instance that is usually cited to explain this phenomenon is the wave of consumerism in the developed world that creates unprecedented impacts on developing countries. Affluent people in high-income countries export a huge section of their consumer demand to developing countries, who then eventually bear the burden of emissions resulting from the production process. Difficulties in the justice system emerge when the former are unwilling to accept claims for such carbon footprint created and conveniently escape any form of compensation or contribution by saying that emissions did not originate in their countries. For instance, the per-person contribution to the newly created Green Climate Fund provides all the more evidence of such attitude of people comfortably seated in high-rise buildings who are turning their backs on the poor and helpless.
It clearly shows how rich countries like US and Japan are the ones that are contributing the least to mitigate the unfair disadvantages faced by the rest of the world due to their developmental activities.
With such apathy from developed countries (that reap benefits from unrestrained growth in the past), it can be further said that climate goals of net-zero emissions set by international organizations are rather unjust and unrealistic for developing economies that advocate ‘catching up’ with the wealthier nations. From theories of convergence, it is quite justified for low-income countries to acquire higher standards of living, income, and quality of life which will compulsorily lead to greater carbon footprints in the future.
Basic human rights restoration that encourages universal attainment of average living standards should be recognized without fail. It becomes a prerogative for world powers today to clean their acts while also assisting the poorer countries to tackle grave threats posed by climate change. The plight of situations in the current scenario mandate a full-fledged reform in decision-making bodies that should include more leaders from neglected communities like the poor, women, and indigenous people to enact more broad-based policies. Renewed dialogues in the direction of clean energy transition and ‘just energy’ deals should be embarked upon. More focus should be redirected toward initiatives like Green New Deal which lays down ambitious plans to tackle climate change while simultaneously eliminating social inequalities. It is necessary for the entire planet to be a united front for achieving a climate-just world that isn’t biased toward the haves and be increasingly fair and accommodative of the have-nots.
Written by Rachita Priyadarshini | Proofread by Yasmin Uzykanova
