The Most Fundamental Economic and Political Changes Needed to Respond to Climate Change Effectively
By: Maria Shukit
Tags: Environment, Climate Change, Political Change, Activism, Sustainability

Another vital stakeholder we must acknowledge is the third world countries. A lot of the contribution to the rising temperature is from third world countries. There are three main reasons for this: negligence, illiteracy, and a corrupt governmental system. When people are illiterate, they would not know things like global warming and the threats to it. Since the literacy rate is meagre in third world countries and most educated are just men, this brings a more significant amount of problem, especially in countries where the more substantial portion of the population are females. The way to fix this is simple, provide equal education to people of all races and genders. Compulsory education might take time. However, it is possible. In more conservative states, having classes using electronic gadgets and technology (e.g. Zoom or Khan Academy) is very feasible. An article from The Economist stated that one device’s cost to equip a child with the education they need is just for 30USD.

The rise of education and acknowledgement will decrease the negligence of the people who live in third world countries. We would be able to see a change from the locals. However, factories ran and owned, by people in MDCs still stay at large. There are little to no environmental laws in place for restricting the number of greenhouse gases they produce, or the way they dispose of waste. The negligent parties are the government and MDCs who tend to value a dollar above anything else.

Above all, we need a government that knows what laws to set and when. The on-going debates of whether or not MDCs should pay LDCs for environmental acts still stay at large. The biggest concern is that people do not want to pay for a government who is known to be corrupt and uses taxpayers money for their own luxury. Organisations like the United Nations must keep a close eye on the usage of such funds. Ensuring all the money that is paid by MDCs is gone directly to protecting the environment.

There should be a strict ban on removing rainforests. Moreover, monetary help (e.g. loans) should be provided for countries who cannot afford to preserve rainforests since the reduction of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, can be done by the presence of a large number of trees. Schools should have annual field trips where each student goes and builds a tree. The initiative will not only raise awareness but also care and concern for protecting trees. Plus, it is fun and cheap!

All taxis around the world should be electric vehicles. There should be initiatives to encourage the use and production of hybrid vehicles or fully electric vehicles. Governments should reduce taxes, grant free parking for some time, and other benefits to encourage the use of vehicles that do not run on fossil fuels.

Reduction of fossil fuels is crucial and can successfully be done by using different means of renewable energy at the same time to produce enough for the demand. For places with sunlight all year round, for example, the UAE, solar panels should be compulsory in every building and school. Property developers and the land departments in the government sector should also consider making a “sustainable city” where most of the houses’ electricity and water function is through the solar panels.

For a change in the status quo, the root of the problem has to be dealt with. There is no better way than starting from the people themselves, especially those with money and power.