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.