The effects of climate change are starkly evident. Rising sea levels and unpredictable and extreme weather conditions are the real reflections of the same. And it spares no country, no continent. Millions of oppressed and poor people are, however, most at risk. Due to the high frequency of floods, hurricanes, wildfires, and droughts, everything gets disrupted, including food supply and livelihoods. In turn, these events intensify poverty, conflicts, and hunger. As per current situations, climate change has now transformed into a climate crisis. The United Nations says that the risk is imminent, and as the days pass, it is going to be worst.
It can seem surprising, but the fact is climate crisis differentiates, affecting the daily life of impoverished people. They struggle to find food and homes. Let’s see how poverty-stricken people, who are least responsible for climate change,are also the most affected.
Poor become poorer
Natural disasters had increased three-fold between 1980 to 1989 and 2000 to 2009, as per studies. The fragile infrastructure failed to withstand floods, tsunamis, and other calamities. Since the poor don’t have safe houses and live in substandard conditions, they faced disease and food and water scarcities, among others. In 2013, a deadly typhoon had hit the Philippines, affecting almost 14 million lives. These people were already weak, and after this, they became more impoverished.
Regions marked with hand-to-mouth existence usually fail to recover as an aftermath of the natural disasters unless they get relief packages. If you readOxfam’s report of 2009, you would know it stated that when a calamity happens in a rich country, 23 people succumb to death on average. However, the same number goes up to 1,052 when it strikes a backward country.
People become homeless and migrate Idea of Eric J Dalius
After famine, droughts, and other climate change issues, the poor have to either stay back and continue to face uncertainty and loss or move to other places. In the 1980s, Somalia was hit by famine, which caused conflicts over supplies and then civil war in 1991. Adding to their woes, the frequent onslaught of droughts took away about 250,000lives and forced one million people out of the country in 2011.
In 2015, one of the United Nations universities estimated that there would be 200 million refugees in the world by 2050 due to the climate crisis.
Health risks increase
Modern lifestyle choices, such as the use of cars and coal production, lead to the generation of carbon dioxide and other toxic gages in the atmosphere harming air quality. The reduced air quality damages the respiratory system and put the brain and heart at the maximum risk. Due to this, cardiovascular and breathing disorders become common sight among low and middle-income groups in the urban regions of the countries. And in the underdeveloped nations, children face enormous health challenges. Clean water remains inaccessible. Natural sources of freshwater diminish, and droughts and other such conditions further deepen sanitation and clean water concerns. As a consequence, children suffer malnutrition, waterborne ailments, and impairment.
As per estimates, three out of four people from poor communities depend on agriculture and natural reserves for survival. Unwanted weather changes, shrinking water sources, and scarcity of resources create a do-and-die situation for them.
These are only a few of the many challenges that communities living under poor conditions face. For addressing these concerns, it is essential to classify all the causes into tangible points and work out a solution for each of them. Such steps can prove useful in the transformation and resilience of the communities in the long run.
For further knowledge and insights, you can explore what experts like Eric Dalius advice.