Climate change is racist. Not literally of course, but in the sense that how people are affected by climate change is going to be largely determined by race. Those who are going to suffer the most are not “white”. From The Herald summary of a recent study:
The Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) released today by a global risks consultancy, Maplecroft, rated 166 countries on their capacity to mitigate risks to society and the business environment posed by changing patterns in natural hazards. Risks assessed included droughts, flooding, storms and sea level rises and the resulting effects on ecosystems. …
Norway (with 166 points), was the lowest ranked country in the CCVI and best equipped to address the challenges of climate change, because of low population density, excellent health-care and communications systems, good governance and a strong institutional framework. … The countries least at risk after Norway are Finland (165), Japan (164), Canada (163) and New Zealand (162). Other low risk countries include UK (155), USA (152) and Germany (151).
Africa had 22 of 28 “extreme risk” countries, with Somalia (1), Haiti (2), Afghanistan (3), Sierra Leone (4) and Burundi (5) rated most at risk.
So as usual the consequences of an upheaval are going to fall mainly on less developed countries and poor individuals. Talk about a rough deal. Africa never did get much of a share of the world’s wealth and resources, which were monopolised by developed (largely Western) countries. And now they get to bear the brunt of the environmental blow-back from our over consumption as well. It shouldn’t be this way.
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