"It is the poorest of the poor in the world, and this includes poor people even in prosperous societies, who are going to be the worst hit."
There are thousands of reports presenting statistics, and there is a human face and a story behind each one. According to Oxfam's report, Climate Change, People and Poverty:
- Some estimates show that up to 26 million people have already been displaced because of climate change.
- 375 million people may be affected by climate-related disasters by 2015.
- 200 million people may be on the move each year by 2050 because of hunger, environmental degradation, and loss of land.
- Several major cities that are dependent on water from mountain ranges face collapse.
In Canada, we often feel sheltered from the food shortages, famines, droughts, environmental disasters and other major disturbances that impact impoverished populations elsewhere. With our significant greenhouse gas emissions, however, we are directly contributing to these problems. These fellow citizens become more vulnerable as prices of energy and food continue to rise.
Children, seniors, people who are chronically ill or have disabilities, low income and homeless people, residents of Northern Canada and people living off the land are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, according to Health Canada.
However, there are ways to address climate change and the root causes of global poverty concurrently.
Clean energy development, creating livable public spaces and walkable neighbourhoods, improving public transportation, and building energy efficient homes would spur the creation of many "Green Jobs". By incorporating smart solutions that reduce a family's costs for transportation and home heating, create viable and meaningful employment and shift our economic structure (the Stern Review provides more background), fighting climate change and poverty go hand in hand.
Internationally, Canada has made commitments to assist some of the world's poorest countries with the effects of climate change through the Canadian International Development Agency. We have a moral obligation to continue fighting climate change, since developed countries have created a disproportionate part of the problem. (See: Uneven Burden below).
Taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions immediately might still mean that the long-term effects of climate change would continue to be seen for years to come. According to a study from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, "Climate change that takes place due to increases in carbon dioxide concentrations is largely irreversible for 1,000 years after emissions stop.". This does not mean that acting on climate change is futile. On the contrary, taking decisive steps today ensures that we avoid some of the most catastrophic predictions for the future.
Uneven Burden
The Per Capita Principle explains how the world's economic giants are pushing the burden on the world's most vulnerable. According to the Guardian Newspaper, the US emits 20 tonnes of CO2 per person annually, compared to 10 tonnes for EU countries, five tonnes in China, two in India and less than one in some parts of Africa. While the richer 20 per cent of the world's nations are responsible for the pollution and the negative consequences of climate change, the world's roughly 80 per cent who live in poverty will bear the brunt of the burden.
More information on poverty and climate change
- UN Climate Change Impact Report: Poor Will Suffer Most
- UN News Centre: Poor will feel greatest impact of climate change
- Climate change may spur chronic hunger, Oxfam says
- CBC Report: Climate change report warns of increased hunger, species extinction
- Report Finds Climate Change a Detectable Driver of Migration: Some 200 million people could be on the move due to climate change by 2050
- Oxfam report: Climate Change, People & Poverty
- The Lancet: Health Effects of Climate Change
