Climate change: the poorest people will only get poorer if warming is not tackled, campaigners warn
The head of Scotland’s climate coalition has warned that extreme weather caused by runaway climate change will have the most severe effects on the poorest people.
The warning comes as thousands of people get set to march across the Scottish capital this weekend to demand action that will tackle poverty.
Around 5,000 people are expected to turn out for the Scotland Demands Better event, calling for politicians to make the changes needed to build a society where every household and our natural world can thrive and prosper.
The march, which begins at the Scottish Parliament on Saturday morning and will wind its way across the city to the Meadows, has been organised by the Poverty Alliance coalition. Members say strong, common-sense policies can return justice and compassion to public life and give people a stable foundation to build a better future.
According to the latest government figures, 23% of children, 20% of working-age adults and 15% of pensioners in Scotland live in relative poverty.
Meanwhile, research by the think tank Future Economy Scotland has shown that the richest 5% of households in Scotland were responsible for more than four times as much carbon dioxide emissions as the poorest 5%.
But the impacts of the changing climate are shown to unfairly hit the poorest people the hardest – in Scotland and across the globe.
Dr Mike Robinson, chair of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, said: “Climate change impacts people unequally. It is already doing so, not just internationally between rich and poor nations, but domestically between the well-off and those struggling to afford life’s basics.
“Unabated climate change will have increasingly dramatic effects on inequality, poverty and economic opportunity, exacerbating existing gaps and forcing more people into poverty.
“Over time, unless measures to tackle inequality are built into our response to climate, these divisions will simply increase. Evidence shows that this is already happening. It’s a vicious circle.”
SCCS, with more than 70 members united in a mission to tackle climate change, is calling for the Scottish Government to produce a “robust and effective” Climate Change Plan (CCP) that will improve life for Scots.
The CCP, based around reducing emissions in new five-yearly carbon budgets, will set out how the country can meet its 2045 net zero target. It is due to be published shortly.
Dr Robinson added: “To build more resilient societies and protect most people there must be a society-wide vision for climate action that is steeped in tackling existing and future inequalities.
“We need a national shared purpose, a vision which we are all challenged to help deliver. But this is impossible if people don’t trust each other’s motives, lack empathy or feel excluded from the benefits of change or having a voice in that change.
“Above all, we need strong leadership. If inequality and climate change are not addressed together, it is unclear whether either can be addressed at all.”
Ruth Boyle, policy and campaigns manager for the Poverty Alliance, called for people to come along and show their support.
She said: “On Saturday, thousands of people from across Scotland will be taking to the streets of Edinburgh to demand better – better than poverty, better than inequality, and better than a future defined by crisis.
“The same systems that drive people into financial insecurity are driving climate breakdown, and both are rooted in an economy that isn’t working for people and the planet. That’s why climate campaigners are standing shoulder to shoulder with us this weekend.
“The Scotland Demands Better campaign is clear that a thriving natural environment is one of life’s essentials. We need policies which take fair, bold and fast action on the climate that benefit local communities, protect those on low incomes and ensure that the biggest polluters pay for their damage.
“Scotland Demands Better is about hope and solidarity. It’s about saying that we can do things differently. When we stand together, we can build a Scotland where everyone can thrive, now and for generations to come.”
