For my next blog I will be talking about Climate Change and income inequality. Climate Change will create a rise in Economic Inequality because the richer will be better prepared and the poorer will not be.
Poorer countries will face larger climate challenges as they don’t have the infrastructure to withstand Climate Change. Also poorer countries are usually tropical countries which will face worse impacts from climate change. For example, in India, the gross domestic product is 31% lower than where it should be because of Climate Change, other countries also have stunted grow for example Chad, Venezuela and Nigeria. Rich countries may benefit for a while under small amounts of warming because they are typically farther North. Iceland’s economy is double what it would be without climate change. Canada, Norway, Finland also may have benefited, but this effect won’t last for long but they still won’t be hurt as much as tropical, developing countries. For example the US, China and Japan three largest economies
Developed countries may have money for seawalls and air conditioning but developing countries don’t. Developed countries also have running water, where developing countries usually don’t. In developed countries the vast majority of people live in houses, and in developing countries many live in tents or huts where they are more susceptible to climate change. Also developing countries are prone to higher deaths, and more famines.
With food for 1.5 degrees although rich countries may see a slight increase in food production, poorer countries will see a sharp decrease. Most developing countries rely on subsistence farming in which case if it is a bad year and they lose their crop their entire food supply is gone and they could easily die and in these countries there is not government aids to help supply food other than international aid. But food prices, will increase but more countries want the food, but the richer countries will get most of it because they have the money to pay for it, leaving poor countries without food (Age of Consequences). This can stress societies to the point of collapse and cause wars. The gap between richer and poorer countries is 25% larger because of climate change.
By Population
Also within a country and between income groups there will be stress sand inequality for example poorer individuals usually work outside, richer individuals usually work inside, so poorer populations are more at risk of heat related illnesses. Another example is that poorer populations will not be as able to move away from areas prone to sea level rise, leaving them at risk. More wealthy individuals will be able to move away from sea level rise. Minorities and Poorer are able to have access to the services to make them more resilient as more wealthy and majorities are.
Also pollution is placed in poorer and minority areas as these areas are typically poorer. The EPA says that 1.5 million people of minority populations live in polluted places. For example African Americans in Los Angeles have a mortality rate that is two times that of average for other LA residents.
So, to sum up Climate Change will increase economic inequality at a personal level and an international level and will increase poverty.
Global Climate Change and Society 