The countries most affected by climate change (small island nations, and much of Africa and Asia) are often the least responsible for it. Many countries in the global south are now experiencing floods, desertification, increased water scarcity, and devastating tornadoes and hurricanes. These are also the countries with the fewest resources to deal with climate change, making them vulnerable to political unrest, armed conflict, and mass migration. [Source: Global Justice Now]
An Oxfam study found that the richest one percent of the world’s population were responsible for more than twice as much carbon pollution as the world’s poorest 3.1 billion people, from 1990 to 2015. The truth is that, European and North American countries currently consume more, and have higher emissions per person on average, than those in China or India. However, this does mean that we can do more than most countries with equivalent emissions to tackle climate change – and use our wealth and diplomatic power to lead by example. [Source: Greenpeace]