Fourteenth International Conference on Climate Change: Impacts & Responses

Abstract

Media reports and public opinion has seen a convergence toward the belief that global warming is a problem that affects all nations and regions of the world equally. However, the detrimental impact of global warming is characterized by an inherent inequality between the richer, more influential “global North” and the poorer but more harmed “global South.” The bulk of the world’s fossil fuel firms, international organizations as well as financial and political power reside in Northern countries, allowing them to control the narrative on global warming while investing in the latest technologies to mitigate its harmful effects. Southern countries bear the brunt of ecological damages while having little agency to dictate terms favorable to their self-interests. Resolving global warming, thus, requires shifting the balance of power from the global North to the global South. As Northern countries remain more economically and politically powerful, Southern countries need to use clever methods to gain more international exposure. Using policies that attract energy firms and international NGOs can go a long way to help Southern countries find reliable, powerful allies in the international arena. Southern countries also need to band together in a unified voice to be better heard in global diplomacy. The struggle of the South against global warming and fossil fuel use that causes it is important not just for the South, but more widely, as Southern efforts will inspire other disadvantaged social groups to carry on their fights for greater recognition.