Climate change is a burden not shared equally. Catastrophic flooding in Libya and unprecedented drought in the Horn of Africa tell us that. These crises also often receive far less attention – and financial support – than they deserve. In the UK, we may have the fortune of being shielded from the worst of climate impacts, but the crisis is exacerbating existing inequalities here, too, and it will continue to do so unless the government changes course.
This is the same year that devastating floods impacted 33 million people in Pakistan, the UK marked its hottest 12 months on record and the five biggest fossil fuel companies raked in a combined profit of $200bn. It’s no surprise that this approach to policy is popular, with a new poll finding that 60 per cent of the British public think increasing taxes or ending subsidies on fossil fuel companies should be used to support lower-income countries to weather climate breakdown.