If one lives in the developing world, it is difficult not to hear about climate change, but this topic is barely a subject of discussion in certain countries, if at all. While the advanced economies are talking about sustainability, green or greener energies, in certain places, people are yet to lack these infrastructures clean or dirty. Does climate change only concern the rich countries or the world globally?
As divisive as the topic of climate change can be between non-believers or believers, climate change is factual and is happening. Countries are spending hundreds of billions of dollars to fight or mitigate the impacts of climate change sometimes at a cost to other countries. For example, electric cars are widely encouraged to use as a means to reduce carbon emissions, but at what cost to other countries where lithium is mined? The Atacama Desert, one of the largest reserves of lithium which is a key component in the batteries of electric vehicles, is a vivid illustration of the destruction of the ecosystem and it is far from being an isolated case. According to a report by Friends of the Earth (FoE), lithium extraction inevitably harms the soil and causes air contamination.
In the name of the green revolution, are we willing to destroy the forest, pollute rivers, underpay, and enslave workers to drive and live greener? In the past two years, one conclusion we can draw from the pandemic is how closely connected the world is. New rules should be enacted, governments and companies must be held accountable for their actions. In making efforts to fight climate change, measures should be taken globally not individually.
image: https://www.wsj.com/articles/electric-cars-batteries-lithium-triangle-latin-america-11660141017
