Climate Change Responsibility & Vulnerability (HL) (DP IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS))

Climate Change Responsibility & Vulnerability

Climate change responsibility

• Responsibility for climate change is difficult to identify

• Determined by:

  • Current greenhouse gas emission rates

  • As well as historical cumulative greenhouse gas emissions

• Current emissions:

  • The biggest current emitters are countries like China, India, and the USA

• Historical emissions:

  • Developed nations, particularly industrialised countries, have been emitting greenhouse gases since the start of the Industrial Revolution

• Cumulative emissions:

  • The USA and European Union are historically the largest contributors to the overall build-up of greenhouse gases

Awaiting image: Per capita carbon dioxide emissions

Image caption: Per capita carbon dioxide emissions for USA, China, UK and India, compared to the average for the rest of the global population

• Emissions per capita:

  • Higher per capita emissions are generally seen in developed nations

  • Developing countries generally have lower emissions per person

Awaiting image: Total vs per capita emissions 2022

Image caption: Total vs per capita carbon dioxide emissions—countries with low per capita emissions can still have the biggest total emission due to their large populations

Climate change vulnerability

• Vulnerability refers to how much countries or regions are affected by the impacts of climate change, e.g.

  • Rising sea levels

  • Extreme weather events

  • Food security threats

• The least responsible countries are often the most vulnerable to climate change

  • E.g. small island nations like the Maldives and Kiribati are highly vulnerable to rising sea levels despite contributing very little to global emissions

  • Vulnerable countries typically include:

    • Low-income nations

    • Nations with limited infrastructure to cope with climate impacts

  • Vulnerability is mainly influenced by:

    • Geographical location, e.g. coastal nations or those in tropical areas, are more vulnerable to flooding, storms, and temperature extremes

    • Economic capacity to adapt to changes e.g. wealthier countries can invest in climate adaptation; poorer countries may struggle

Climate justice and equity

• Climate justice addresses the ethical issues related to who should take responsibility for addressing climate change

  • Developed countries often have greater responsibility due to their historical emissions and economic resources

  • Developing countries are more vulnerable and have contributed less to the problem

• Equity calls for fair distribution of the costs and benefits of climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts

• Many believe wealthier nations should provide financial climate reparations to help developing nations adapt and mitigate the impacts they did not cause