Many of the people may not be familiar with the term climate change, but they know well about its effects. Their struggles against increased heatwaves and pressing floods have made them realized that the threat and effects of climate change are right there in front of their eyes.
The Hardest Effects of Climate Change; a Virtual Threat for Marginalized Community:
The effects of climate change aren’t equal for everyone. Its impacts are especially harsh for the poor of the world. Many the low-income families depend on farming, fishing, or natural resources for survival. Their livelihoods are mostly at risk of strike by droughts, floods, or storms. With limited access to healthcare, clean water, and reliable housing, it becomes even harder for them to recover from disasters. Climate change adds stress to these people’s lives, which are already on the edge, pushing them deeper into poverty, and make it harder for them to bounce back.
Key Ways in Which Climate Change Affects The Poor:
Climate Change is neither a distant threat anymore, and nor an unknown fact any longer. The marginalized communities are especially struggling against the extreme climate events in the form of multiple and intertwined climatic challenges. The effects of climate change disproportionately hit them, as they are often located in hazard-prone areas—such as floodplains, coastal zones, or drought-prone regions—due to lower land costs. They lack the infrastructure and resources to protect themselves against floods, storms, heatwaves, and droughts. So, climate changes unfairly affect the poor, and it becomes a virtual challenge to communicate the urgency of climate action in a way that resonates with them. Here are the key ways in which climate change affects impoverished populations:
1. Displacement and Loss of Homes due to the Effects of Climate Change:
- Sea-level rise, flooding, and extreme weather like hurricanes and wildfires often hit the poor communities hardest, especially those in informal settlements or coastal areas. The loss of homes among poor populations are among the most devastating consequences of climate change.
- The effects of climate change are not just about the loss of shelter—they often mean the loss of entire ways of life, communities, and cultural identities. The communities living in low-lying coastal areas are at severe risk as the rising sea levels and storm surges erode shorelines and flood homes. The example may be given from the countries like Bangladesh, where thousands of families have been displaced from coastal regions due to rising tides, ending up in overcrowded urban slums.
- Besides, floods and storms or Intensifying weather events, such as cyclones, hurricanes, and heavy rainfall, droughts and desertification in arid and semi-arid regions, and wildfires are displacing millions, especially in areas where housing is poorly constructed and lacks proper drainage systems.
- Without resources to build sea defenses or relocate inland, many of the poor are forced to abandon their homes permanently. Whereas, the marginalized groups may lack legal land rights, which make relocation and compensation more difficult when disasters occur. Hence, they badly suffer due to the effects of climate change.
2. Food and Water Insecurity:
- The changes in temperature and rainfall affect agriculture, fisheries, and water availability.
- The small holder farmers and indigenous communities often depend on natural resources for their livelihoods and sustenance.
- With their limited means to adapt, these groups face rising food prices and decreased access to clean water.
3. Health Disparities:
- Rising temperatures and pollution exacerbate respiratory diseases, vector-borne illnesses (like malaria and dengue), and heat-related conditions are more for them.
- Marginalized communities often have limited access to healthcare, compounding the impact of climate-related health issues for them.
4. Economic Inequality:
- Climate-related job losses (e.g., in agriculture, fisheries, and tourism) hit the low-income earners the hardest.
- Wealthier groups can afford migration, or adaptation technologies, which is widening the economic gap.
- 5. Education Disruption
- Natural disasters often destroy schools or interrupt education, or close the doors of education for them.
- Girls and children from poor households are more likely to drop out permanently after climate-related crises hit them.
5. Gender-Based Vulnerabilities:
- In many cultures, women have less access to land, resources, and decision-making power, making them even more vulnerable during climate shocks.
- Women and girls may face increased risk of exploitation or violence in the displacement camps or during the migration.
6. Cultural and Spiritual Loss:
- Indigenous communities whose identities are tied to specific lands and ecosystems may face loss of culture, traditional knowledge, and spiritual practices when are displaced or if the ecosystems degrade.
7. Limited Representation in Climate Policy:
- The voices the poor people are often underrepresented in national and international climate decision-making forums.
- Their specific needs and knowledge systems are overlooked in climate solutions and adaptation strategies.
How to Save the Poor from the Effects of Climate Change? A Call for Climate Justice
We focus on melting glaciers, rising temperatures, or extreme weather events, but give less attention to the human side of the story. Climate doesn’t just affect the planet—it affects people. We forget this fact, which exacerbates the existing inequalities and create new vulnerabilities. The poor are often made up of low-income populations, indigenous peoples, rational and minorities, and people living in vulnerable geographic areas. They face unique and compounded challenges due to their limited resources, reduced political power, and exposure to environmental hazards. They mostly press against socioeconomic inequalities, largely concerned with immediate survival than the effects of climate change. To truly tackle the issue, we must put people and justice at the center of our solutions:
- We must invest in local, community-driven adaptation. Strengthening social safety nets and access to healthcare, education, and legal rights. Supporting community-based adaptation strategies can solve many problems.
- We should amplify the voices of those most affected. Center equity and justice in climate policies can make it possible.
- We should promote climate financing and support for vulnerable communities. Making climate finance accessible to the grassroots.
- We must include marginalized voices in policymaking, especially women, indigenous leaders, and youth. Ensuring their seat at the table can make a big difference.
Final Thought:
Climate change is mostly discussed in terms of rising temperatures, melting glaciers, and vanishing species. While the critical issues of the poor are only part of the story. The full picture includes a human face, where millions of poor and marginalized people across the globe are bearing the brunt of a crisis they did not cause, as the poor communities contribute the least to global emissions, yet they suffer the most.
Unless we stand in solidarity with these vulnerable people among us, we’re only addressing half of the problem of climate change. Climate justice demands us more than just technological fixes and carbon offsets. It also calls for empathy, inclusion, and equitable action.
