Barry Andrews: Failure to tackle climate change puts unfair burden on the poor – Independent.ie

via Barry Andrews: Failure to tackle climate change puts unfair burden on the poor – Independent.ie.

This weekend’s Typhoon Haiyan was more severe in every respect and latest estimates suggest that more than 12,000 people have lost their lives as a result of the storm.

The question that returns more and more, as weather patterns become increasingly dynamic, is whether these events can truly be considered “natural disasters” any more. The truth is, these events are not entirely natural but whipped up through our failure to properly confront and tackle the human impact on our weather systems.

And the other awkward truth is that those that contribute most to climate change do not share equally the burden of its effects. Rather it is disproportionately the poorest and most vulnerable who are its victims…