People from the Global South have been demanding climate reparations for a long time, stating that they are suffering from carbon emissions released by their counterparts in the Global North. The Global North has contributed more than 92% of total carbon emissions at the moment, but the Global South is identified to be most vulnerable to climate shocks.
The highly skewed and unjust effects of climate change imply that individuals in different locations perceive, adapt to, and manage the climate change and associated risks and opportunities in a vastly dissimilar manner. The notion of climate colonialism has gradually found its way into the international discourse, with the media describing a heated discussion of climate reparations.
What is climate colonialism?
In the modern world, climate colonialism is used to mean that Global North nations are exploiting resources of the Global South for their green initiatives. Carbon offsetting is usually established as a practice in which developed countries buy the permission to emit more GHG than they committed to and invest in carbon sinks in the Global South to balance that.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) mentioned the word “colonialism” in its report for 2022. Leading climate scientists agreed that migration is a historical and ongoing cause of climate change.
“Present development challenges causing high vulnerability are influenced by historical and ongoing patterns of inequity such as colonialism, especially for many Indigenous peoples and local communities,” the report said. “Officials and scientists from around the globe now recognize the significant role colonialism has played in heating our planet and destroying its many gifts.”
Colonisation is motivated by the promise of environmental plunder and population subjugation. And the prevalence and persistence of colonial institutions make solutions to the climate crisis more difficult to implement, especially in a just and equitable manner.
Who is this affecting?
People living in developing countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia are all affected by climate colonialism. This includes people living in climate-sensitive areas, such as the Caribbean, across these regions. Millions of people have lost their livelihoods, homes, family members, and more due to the impacts of climate change. especially severe weather conditions.
By the end of the 19th century, French colonists in rural communities in North and West Africa forbade them to practise the centuries-old methods of self-sufficient agriculture. It soon led to widespread environmental degradation. The local population was forced to cut down trees to make room for cotton and other cash crops.
This is because these regions alone lose moisture and the land begins to lose its vegetation. Foresters in the French colony coined the term For “desertification,” settlers blamed the land management practices of immigrant tribes and other indigenous peoples. that degrade the environment as aliens This explosion of natural resources has driven deforestation and environmental change in the colonised territories. From the Americas and the Caribbean to Asia, Africa and Oceania.
Waste Colonialism
Oil and gas are predominantly extracted for the manufacture of plastic and other disposable products extensively used in the USA, UK and Europe. On the other hand recycling and incinerating plastic waste have been transferred disproportionately to poorer nations found in Asia. Through this unequal system of global trade initiated by former colonial powers, these countries are forced to handle hazardous waste at very low cost. Waste colonialism is the term used to describe this type of exploitation that is unacceptable in today’s society.
The nations most affected by the consequences of waste colonialism include Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka. As these countries work diligently to address the significant task of recycling and incinerating millions of tons of plastic waste each year, they often face criticism for allegedly “failing” to control pollution.
In addition to that, Germany was recognized as the top recycling nation by the World Economic Forum even though it has a reputation for exporting most plastic waste globally. The amount of plastic waste that Germany exports annually is more than one million tons on average; this figure is greater than that of any other country in the EU.
Climate independence must deal with the complexities of colonialism. Imperialism, capitalism, international development and geopolitics that lead to the reproduction of existing colonies through existing global governance structures. Discussion framework Proposed solution and intervention This necessarily addresses both the epistemic intensity and the material consequences. By connecting through such media I therefore provide an understanding of climate colonialism that is theorised and grounded in lived experience.