The climate crisis impacts the human existence. Today, it has even become a daily reality for millions of people. With the rise in sea levels alongside the continuous rise in temperatures, climate change has resulted in more brutal floods, storms, desertification, droughts and diminishing resources. On the human level, this means more communities are now scattered, more houses are damaged, more people are growing vulnerable, more refugee camps are established, and more conflicts and wars are erupting.

 

The Global Report on International Displacement 2021 states that climate disasters in 2020 alone have led to the displacement of 30 million people across the globe and the destruction of 6 million homes. Communities that are mostly hit by these disasters are weak and do not have sufficient means to recover or cope with the consequences.

 

We are no longer dealing with a “future” issue; it is happening already, and action to address it needs to be taken now and collectively, especially when most wealthy countries have contributed greatly to this climate change by emitting more greenhouse gases than other nations since the industrial revolution.

 

It is a global and a present issue, but more importantly it is a disproportionate one. Global solutions on climate change are vital to reach the goals of net zero emission. The “green revolution” has already begun; the climate issue is now being seriously considered. Green technologies are being created progressively and their costs are even on the decline. Global commitments on “climate neutrality” are also being implemented, even if they’re still minimal.

 

However, this revolutionary transformation cannot be achieved without social equality. There is a need for equal commitment to support vulnerable communities. For a “greener world” climate policy should entail equity and fairness. What is needed is a sort of a “green” social contract at the national level and beyond. This contract will ensure that the decarbonization will not happen at the expenses of those most affected. In this sense, the “climate neutrality process,” whether imposing a carbon tax or using green technologies, should include practical compensation systems to offset the increased energy prices on the people most affected during this green transition.

Aid campaigns and environmentalists have urged leaders of rich economies that are the primary drivers of climate change to begin to reduce their carbon footprint and take powerful actions to confront this mounting crisis that hits the most vulnerable people the hardest.

 

At the G-7 summit that was held from June 11 to 13, 2021, in Cornwall in the UK, gathering seven of the world’s richest countries (United Kingdom, United States, France, Italy, Germany, Japan and Canada), the aim was to focus on “creating a greener and more prosperous future” by addressing global issues, mainly COVID19 and climate change.

However, it ended up achieving much less than most activists expected. The pledge made by these countries in 2015 to pay $100 billion a year in funding to help poor countries redress their economy and adapt to climate change fell short. The promises to stop financing coal production and commit to net zero carbon emission have also been broken by continuing new fossil fuel development. In his statement on the summit, Max Lawson, the head of inequality in Oxfam policy, said, “Never in the history of the G-7 has there been a bigger gap between their actions and the needs of the world. We don’t need to wait for history to judge this summit a colossal failure; it is plain for all to see.”

 

The UK is now under pressure to be able to build, within few months, a global consensus before it hosts the UN Climate Change Conference COP 26 on Nov. 21 in Glasgow. The COP26 is a particularly important and critical climate meeting as it is more likely to enforce tangible financial commitments than the G-7 summit. It is a determinant of whether the world can still be on track to meet its goals of decarbonization and limiting the rise in temperatures.

 

Although one might think that the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent plans for vaccination and economic recovery have distracted the global interest on the climate issue, many experts argue that it might have actually aided in directing people’s attention of toward environmental issues and the importance of not disturbing the nature.

 

The pandemic has raised public awareness on the link between climate change and human activity. High hopes are now set on the UN COP26 and the role it can play as a game changer for global climate policy while ensuring social support for the “green transition.” The meeting will decide whether our future will turn green or grey.

 

Dima El Hassan is a consultant at the Hariri Foundation for Human Development.