Social justice and climate change: new map reveals injustice

Climate change is not only an environmental issue, it affects peoples lives, livelihoods and homes, even the sovreignty of nations. Changes to rainfall, weather patterns, fresh water availability and temperatures are causing the expansion of tropical diseases, crop failures and heat related illness. It poses the biggest threat to human health and social justice the world has yet faced, and a new map created by researcher Dr. Jonathan Patz shows the rich are responsible.

Recent research by the World Health Organization (WHO) says that weather and climate changes caused by climate change already cause 150,000 deaths annually. Dr Jonathan Patz at the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment at WHO created two climate change maps that predict deaths caused by climate change and those responsible for it: indicating that the biggest emitters are also those least likely to die from the effects of climate change. [maps] [associated news]

Tellingly, key greenhouse gas emission data released by the UN in November 2005 indicates that despite warnings, many rich countries are actually producing more, not less, emissions since signing the Kyoto protocol in 1990. Spain topped the list at an increase of 41 per cent, with Greece 25.8, Ireland 25.5, Canada 24.2, Australia 23.3, New Zealand 22.5 and the US13.3. The US remains the single biggest emitter. Most of them exceeded their emission reduction targets set at Kyoto. The biggest sectors responsible included energy production, transport and agriculture, with the transport sector (SUVS, cars, air travel etc) showing the greatest increase in emissions despite record oil prices.

The effect of profligate use of fossil fuels by the rich world is increased stress in the daily lives of poor people and poor nations. Indeed, many countries are expected to become unlivable in the Pacific region, where salt water incursion from rising sea levels caused by melting ice caps [story] will result in people being forced to move elsewhere. Dr Norman Myers estimates as many as 150 million people may become climate refugees in the Asia/Ocenia region alone. [FoEA Climate Refugees Project]

Many countries are now facing water shortages with reduced rainfall and the melting of glaciers. Decreased water and increase heat is leading to droughts and crop failures and subsequent starvation in impoverished nations. Heat related illnesses are affecting all nations, but the poor everywhere are suffering the most. In the 2003 European heat waves in which 35,000 people died, the elderly and infirm who were unable to escape to air-conditioned places were the first to succumb. Heatwaves in poor countries where air-conditioning is a rarity exacerbate already unfair living and working conditions. In poorer nations infrastructure doesn’t exist to help mitigate it, and often the poor have to continue working in heat to eat. [link]

Small, poorer countries, however, are showing overall decreased emissions.
Figures here: [UN figures pdf]

To exacerbate the social justice issues related to climate change, many contries are now talking up nuclear power as a solution. Britain, the US and now Australia are planning nuclear expansion despite the evidence that nuclear power will not solve climate change, but introduce a lot new set of environmental and social justice issues. [Australian report debunks Nuclear Power] [Greepeace UK: Nuclear Power Increases Emissions]