Climate change confronts humankind with a growing justice problem, namely that the impacts of global warming and more frequent extreme events are felt mainly by low-income and marginalized population groups. For these groups, climate change often poses an existential threat, for it multiplies – by several orders of magnitude – their already substantial economic, social and health challenges and concerns. The greater vulnerability of low-income and marginalized population groups to climate risks stems from three sources:

• The poorest communities generally live in regions where they are particularly exposed to weather extremes and other natural hazards. Examples are slums by rivers (flood risk), illegally constructed housing on mountain slopes (risk of landslides after heavy rainfall) and settlements without mature trees to provide shade and cooling during periods of extreme heat.
• Low-income families often lack access to the financial resources and infrastructures needed for resilience to climate and weather extremes. These resources include energy and water security, access to sanitation and emergency shelters, a well-performing health system, and a reliable supply of all the staple foods. Furthermore, low-income groups very often work in occupations in which both their earnings and their food supply are heavily dependent on the climate, such as agriculture and fishing.
• Low-income and marginalized population groups are often excluded from decision-making at the political level and their needs are rarely, if ever, considered. The IPCC concludes, inter alia, that the adaptation gap between the measures currently being implemented and the levels needed to respond to impacts is significantly greater in low-income regions than in areas inhabited by higher-income groups.

Worldwide, 3.3 to 3.6 billion people live in contexts that are highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. The implications of this are illustrated by the mortality rates, among other things: over the last decade, human mortality from storms, floods and droughts was 15 times higher in highly vulnerable regions, compared to countries with very low vulnerability. Members of low-income groups are also exposed comparatively often to extreme heat as they tend to be employed in outdoor occupations such as farming, landscaping, construction and artisanal trades.

Adaptation and inclusion – building the resilience of vulnerable groups

Based on these findings, the IPCC has developed an approach for climate resilient development, which focuses primarily on the needs of the most vulnerable population groups. In essence, this approach adroitly combines climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies in such a way that many other social challenges – such as poverty, hunger and discrimination against women – can be addressed at the same time.
Its successful implementation, however, is contingent on various conditions which, in essence, necessitate a transformation of human society and a shift away from current values, economic systems and life goals. If efforts to preserve Earth as a liveable planet for people and nature are to be successful, humankind must take the following action without delay:

• onserve and sustainably use at least 30 to 50 per cent of Earth’s land and ocean areas: this means only removing the amount of a natural resource (fish, timber, etc.) that can regenerate itself;
• in decision-making, include all affected population groups in the debate from the outset: this requires transparent, democratically organized processes in which there is cooperation across all social divides, as well as efforts to achieve a fair balance between diverse interests, values and worldviews;
• base all decision-making on expert knowledge: alongside representatives of science and engineering, it is essential to give a hearing to representatives of local expertise and to local interest groups and indigenous communities;
• prioritize issues of justice and fairness: the precarious situation of low-income or marginalized population groups will change only if they are given a voice and this voice is heard and considered. In many regions, these still marginalized groups mainly include women, young people and members of indigenous communities;
• provide adequate funding for climate change adaptation measures and for the transformation of the economy and society;
• cooperate on a transboundary and transnational basis.

Even in a world without climate change, effecting this transformation would be an immense challenge for society. If climate-related loss and damage are factored in, the situation becomes very much worse, for every additional tenth of a degree of warming further limits our scope for action. The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) sums up what is at stake: in a world that has warmed by more than two degrees Celsius, humankind will likely have no chance of creating a liveable future for all the Earth’s citizens.

fig. 1.12 > People throughout the world are exposed to the impacts of climate change. There are, however, some particularly vulnerable groups with less ­resilience to extreme events such as heat, drought, storms, floods and forest fires.