The Climate Paradox: Why The Countries That Did The Least Get Hit The Hardest
It takes 581 people living in Burundi to produce the same amount of greenhouse-gas emissions in a year as the average American (Global Citizen, 2019). That is a number worth stopping to think about. While people in the United States emit far more greenhouse gases, people in low-emitting countries like Burundi often face disproportionately greater harm from climate change. This is the reality of climate economics: those who contribute least to global warming are often the least equipped to protect themselves from its consequences. Climate shocks can destroy livelihoods, reduce productivity, strain government budgets, and make it harder for poorer countries to invest in future growth. As a result, climate change can reinforce existing economic inequalities, making it harder for poorer countries and communities to build wealth and escape poverty. It is an economic crisis wrapped in an environmental crisis, and it is one that is getting harder to ignore. The Damage Has Already Been Do...