By Esmerlin Tavarez, age 10
International Federation of Red Cross for Flickr)
Why are poorer countries more affected by climate change? Climate change affects poorer countries more because they don’t have the resources needed to adapt to climate change. Richer countries can recover from and prepare for natural disasters because they are more financially equipped. A 2020 United Nations report found that poorer countries were affected 10 times more than richer countries.
Citizens of poor countries experience water and crop shortages, work in polluted air, and even go to school with no air conditioning, reports the Council on Foreign Relations. Citizens of rich countries are better equipped financially to deal with these challenges. But richer countries are responsible for more carbon emissions and for hurting the planet more, so this is unfair.
Climate change has caused people to become sick. In 2016, Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti. Climate change is to blame for the intensity of the hurricane because the warming waters in the Atlantic Ocean caused the hurricane to worsen, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. Hurricane Matthew affected public health by causing people to get sick and get diseases like cholera because they didn’t have access to clean water.
Climate change can also worsen inequality, especially for women, disabled people, and marginalized groups, reports the Council on Foreign Relations. Women are affected more by climate change because they are often responsible for gathering materials. It is harder for them to obtain these materials when climate change worsens.
Additionally, in climate emergencies, disabled people’s healthcare becomes limited, which can cause them to end up in temporary shelters that lack accessible conditions.
It is important for readers to learn about this topic so they can know how living in a rich country and a poor country is very different when climate change is happening. Learning about climate change inequality teaches readers to be more empathetic and to care about others who are suffering more from the same problem.
