We are all in it together – a phrase much loved by politicians but in relation to climate change it is only partly true. It is certainly correct that climate change affects the whole planet, albeit with some regional variation. However, when we look at social geography and economics, we see that, despite the worldwide occurrence of global warming, we are not all in it together.
The increased CO2 concentration in the atmosphere has been almost entirely caused by the activities of the developed industrialised countries of the global north – the richer nations of the world. However, even though climate change is universal, vulnerability is not. The countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change are mostly poorer, low-income countries who had little to do with causing the problem. Further, many of these vulnerable countries do not have the means to mitigate the effects of climate change – it is for them.
Factoring in both vulnerability and mitigation potential, the University of Notre Dame in the USA has developed a Global Adaptation Index in which these inequalities are clearly apparent. To aid our praying I suggest that we all have a look at the latest figures: Rankings // Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative // University of Notre Dame (nd.edu)
John Bryant