Climate shocks: Risk and vulnerability in an unequal world

Abstract

Climate science deals in measurement. Emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) are weighed in tonnes and gigatonnes. Concentrations of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere are monitored in parts per million (ppm). Confronted with the data, it is easy to lose sight of the human face of the people who are most vulnerable to climate change—people such as those quoted above.

“ Hurricane Jeanne took all that I had…my job and my home are gone. I used to have food. Now I beg in the market.”

Rosy-Claire Zepherin, Gonaives, Haiti, 2005

“We are eating only a little once a day to make the maize last longer, but even then it will last only a short time. Then we are in trouble.”

Margaret Mpondi, Mphako, Malawi, 2002

“If the rains fail like they did last year we will go hungry. The rich have savings. They have stocks of food. They can sell their oxen for cash. But what do I have? If I sell my ox how will I plant next year? If my crop fails we have nothing. It is always like that. Everything depends on rain.”

Kaseyitu Agumas, Lat Gayin, southern Gonda, Ethiopia, 2007

“We had never seen such floods before. Lots of houses were destroyed, lots of people died, our agricultural land was submerged, crops stored in houses were lost. Many livestock were lost too. We were just not prepared to face such big flooding. So we didn’t have any savings of money or food.”

Pulnima Ghosh Mahishura Gram Panchayat, Nadia District, West Bengal, India, 2007

“There are more floods now and the river banks are being washed away faster. There’s nowhere to go. My land is in the river, I have nothing now.”

Intsar Husain, Antar Para, north-western Bangladesh, 2007.