Economic inequality hinders climate actions

The journal "A Earth", a subsidiary of the Netherlands Publishing Company, recently published Fergus Green, Assistant Professor of the Department of Political Science, University of London, and Associate Professor of Geography and Sustainable Development of Celem State University in the United States Noel Healy's article "How Equality is analogous to exacerbate climate change: support the green policy from the perspective of climate". The study shows that the increase in greenhouse gas emissions is related to economic inequality and solving economic inequality is an important part of climate change.

Studies have shown that different economic classes affect greenhouse gas emissions in different ways. The rich people's greenhouse gas emissions come from two aspects: consumer choice and investment decision -making. The world's richest 10%of the world's richest population is 36%-49%of the world's total emissions through consumer emissions. At the same time, wealthy individuals and enterprises have a large political influence in carbon -intensive industries, which can hinder climate policies that contrary their own interests. The poor and non -economic guarantee groups are worried that climate policy will affect prices and employment.

Researchers said that in response to climate change, all people need to work together, and the government must also carry out large -scale changes. However, inequality has split the public and destroys the social and political trust required for good political operation. Therefore, while the government responds to climate change, it is necessary to distribute wealth, social status and political power more fairly. This concept is also the core of the "new green policy". The "New Deal of Green" is a new concept that the United Nations officially launched to the international community in 2008. It aims to combine social and economic goals such as slowing climate change, creating employment, reducing inequality, strengthening the protection of workers' rights and interests, and increasing investment in necessary public services. stand up.

According to Green, some people often criticize the "New Deal of Green" to impose a series of seemingly unrelated social and economic reforms on the climate agenda, but this study shows that these reforms are indispensable to solve climate problems. The "Green New Deal" can help the government reduce carbon emissions quickly, improve the living standards of most people, and allow the richest people to bear the cost of matching it. Many political leaders are unwilling to carry out major reforms necessary for climate change, partly because they are not equal to influence. Equality not only accelerates climate change, but also hinders people to take action. If the inequality rises will not be contained, climate change will become uncontrollable, which will eventually cause humans to be in an extremely dangerous situation. Obviously, the choice of structural policy selection for the richest and most powerful group is unsustainable. The government urgently needs to reduce inequality as the center of climate actions.

Source: China Social Science Network-Journal of Social Sciences of China

Author: Li Ling/Compilation

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