What impact do fears of climate change have on the world of finance and economics? Anushka proposes that the “stock market is nothing if not constantly waiting for the pin to drop”. Yet in spite of this, she believes that “warnings of a green bubble are largely founded on a fear of growing demand, triggered by a history of repeated burns, and while there is substantial evidence to corroborate this claim, a crash is not necessarily imminent”.
With farmers of India enraged at the BJP’s three proposed farm bills, Ayesha Gidda argues that that ‘the imposing of such statutes marks the beginning of the end of the mandi system and MSPs keeping farmers afloat’. Given the introduction of proposals potentially leaving more than 100 million farmers to fall victim to increasing corporatization, Ayesha delves further into some of the causes of one of the biggest protests of the last decade.
Does climate change affect us all equally? Isaac highlights how ‘whilst all of us will be affected, the global poor will suffer the most due to climate change. Rich countries ought to cut their emissions not just in the name of self-preservation, but in the name of justice for the global poor.’ Put simply, he believes that whether or not the wealthy should cut their emissions is not a question of self-preservation or charity to the developing world, but a question of justice.
As the West Coast of the United States continues to burn, the author argues ‘it is imperative for the US government to admit that what has been done up until now, as far as environmental campaigns are concerned, is not enough’. Upon such an admission, she suggests a change in the approach being taken by the government – “finding new, clean and technological solutions to climate change will not be enough if one does not strive for a total reconfiguration of power dynamics and colonial relations”.
The COVID-19 pandemic that brought the world economy to a three-month halt also brought down CO2 emissions to an unprecedented level. Although these numbers might seem significant, the effect of these drops alone is nearly not enough to achieve the 1.5°C target set by the Paris Agreement. So how can we look at the pandemic as an opportunity to step up the fight against the climate emergency? The answer lies in the response to the global economic crisis and in the stimulus packages offered by governments throughout the world.
Recent Comments