Climate Debt, Climate Rage, and the Wealth of Nations
Climate debt anchors on the idea that wealthy nations should pay developing nations for problems arising from global warming. As an emerging discourse, Nicola Bullard defines it as the “debt accumulated by the Northern industrial countries towards the countries and peoples of the South on account of resource plundering, environmental damages, and the free occupation of environmental space to deposit wastes, such as greenhouse gases.” In the words of Naomi Klein, “climate debt represents the most controversial among the newest ideas on how to manage this ever growing crisis. It is about who pays the bill.” Climate range on the other hand is premised on the growing antagonism between rich and poor nations on who is responsible for what portion of global warming. In short, it is about the cruel contrast between developed and developing nations, between the cause and effect of global warming.
Climate change and the debate on reparations for the effects of global warming therefore becomes a contested site of environmental discourse. In exploring this debate, I will review some of the recent research in this area and identify key findings that may be useful in advancing our understanding of this discourse. I intend to examine trends, suggestions and examples that explain some of the pitfalls facing developing nations on their road to industrialization and wealth creation in relation to climate change. Specifically, I will explore the overlap between climate debt, climate rage, global warming and their relationship to economic advancement and further analyze the thesis that global warming causes changes in the environment that lead to conflict over resources. To do this, I will incorporate the work and ideas of people like Naomi Klein, Nicola Bullard, Todd Stern, Jesse Jenkins, Devon Swezey, Isabel Galiana, Gustavo Esteva, Juliette Beck, Simon Buttler, and many others.
Mains words: Climate Debt, Climate Rage, Climate Change, Environment activism, conflict Global warming, Reparations, Environmental conflict ,human-animal conflict, Ecotage, Ecoterrosim.