The richest 10% of people in the world produce 50% of Earth’s fossil fuel emissions, while the poorest half of the world contributes a mere 10%.
An average person among the richest one percent emits 175 times more carbon than his or her counterpart among the bottom 10%. (The Guardian)
A report submitted to the U.N. in June of 2019 warned that human rights (along with many of the world’s poorest residents) may not survive the ongoing climate crisis.
The climate apartheid scenario we risk allows the wealthiest to pay to escape the disasters caused by climate change — wildfires, floods, droughts, overheating, hunger and conflict to name a few. The rest of the world will be left to suffer, unable to pay their way out of the situation.
According to U.N. reporter, Philip Alston, the world’s poorest populations will continue to lose access to water and food as migrant populations increase. Developing countries will bear 75% of the costs of climate crisis despite causing only a small fraction of the carbon emissions that cause the disasters.
Even if the current targets of the Paris Agreement are met, tens of millions of people will be pushed into poverty, displacement and hunger shortages. (UN)
The International Displacement Monitoring Center recorded that 17.2 million people were displaced due to disasters in 2018 alone.
The first six months of 2019 have seen seven million displaced, the highest midyear figure ever reported for displacements associated with disasters. (Extinction Rebellion)
On top of all of this, a 2018 report by the EPA found that people of color are much more likely to live near polluters and breathe polluted air.
The study finds that black people are exposed to about 1.5 times more particulate matter than white people, and that Hispanics had about 1.2 times the exposure of non-Hispanic whites. The study found that people in poverty had about 1.3 times more exposure than people above poverty. (The Atlantic)
These two articles include some wonderful activists of color:
9 Activists of Color Your Should Know by Teen Vogue
Meet the Young Activists of Color who Are Leading the Charge Against Climate Disaster by Vox
