Floods in Pakistan, heat waves in India, and rising sea levels swallowing Pacific islands are not just natural disasters; they are consequences of a global climate crisis based on centuries of exploitation. The Global North profited from industrialization, but the Global South pays the price.

The Global North comprises the world’s wealthier, industrialized countries, predominantly located in North America and Western Europe. The Global South encompasses the developing countries situated throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific Islands. Although these terms are not strictly geographic, they point to significant economic and political inequalities.

Climate colonialism has indeed occurred. It is high time that we start discussing the environmental weaponization in geopolitical conflicts because the climate crisis isn't just environmental anymore; it has become political and more.

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What is Climate Colonialism?

Climate colonialism, a term coined by activists and scholars, refers to the way former colonial powers continue to impose environmental and economic burdens on the Global South. It’s not just about emissions. It’s about who suffers, who profits, and who gets to decide what happens next.

The Carbon Brief reports that the U.S. accounts for more than 20% of all carbon emissions up until 1850. The European Union adds another 17% to that total. Most at-risk countries from climate change like Bangladesh, Mozambique, and the Philippines have each contributed less than 1% of the total emissions.

The Global North's industrialization was based on resource extraction from colonized territories: coal from India, rubber from the Congo, and oil from the Middle East. These raw materials fueled Western development while leaving the colonies impoverished and with polluted environments. Now, as the climate crisis deepens, formerly colonized nations are being told to cut their emissions, usually without financial or technological support to do so.

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Sunita Narain, a leading environmentalist from India, in a C2G Talk interview, articulated that climate change is a great equalizer and we have to work together. This is one issue on which the rich cannot bully the poor, and it is also one issue on which the poor cannot not cooperate; so we need both sides. She further added, 'If I look at the costs of why nature-based solutions are becoming so prominent in the mitigation options and in net zero, it is because everybody thinks that there is a huge amount of land available in countries of the developing world, whether it is Africa or India, where you can plant trees at negative cost or at minimal cost.

You look at the ranges coming out of Europe which say it is going to be so expensive to plant trees there, but you can do that in Africa. But that African land belongs to somebody, it belongs to some community that needs to get livelihood security from the use of that land. They need to benefit from it. So I think, we are not putting our money where our mouth is.'

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Developed VS Developing Nations

The Global North and Global South divide is more than just economic or environmental; it is the result of the historical pollution, years of political sufferings and colonial rule. While the developed nations benefit from the decisions made in the past during industrialization; it is the developing nations that are left with a scar economic exploitation and environmental degradation, further burdened the South with a crisis they didn't even cause.

While this remains a deeply-rooted part of history, even in the present day, the developed countries often leave a very little room for the developing countries to progress. And often limit them numerous treaties, protocols, and unjust excuses in the name of environment.

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The Roots of Climate Crisis: Colonial Development?

The Western world carved out its industrial base by drawing resources from the South and Middle East while these countries remained underdeveloped and faced rampant pollution. Present-day, the Global North advocates for climate restrictions. However, their real reasoning revolves around limiting the South’s growth.

These wealthy nations use restrictive environmental standards to control industrial development in poorer nations. It can be argued that emissions from countries in the lower part of the globe remain significantly lower than those in the upper half. These countries continue to receive scrutiny regardless of the situation.

As displayed in Our World in Data, per capita emissions in the U.S. are more than six times the value of those in India, which seems quite disproportionate. This leads to an incredibly important question: Is it under the facade of climate policy serving concealed geopolitical power struggles?

Image Credits : Leonhard Lenz from Wikimedia Commons

Are International Treaties Progressive or Hypocritical?

The Kyoto Protocol (1997) was one of the first international agreements to recognize the principle of "Common But Differentiated Responsibilities." It acknowledged that developed nations were responsible for most pollution and led the charge for reducing emissions.

As a result, India and China were exempt from binding targets. However, this sparked criticism. Western nations claimed that it allowed big polluters to avoid accountability. Self-reported data from the UNFCCC shows that the US, in fact, has significantly higher emissions per capita than India and China.

The more recent Paris Agreement (2015) attempted to bring everyone on board but included no strong enforcement mechanisms or promises to fund mitigation efforts for poorer nations.

Image Credits : U.S. Department of State from Wikimedia Commons

The Global South's Fight Back

At COP-27, the demand for loss and damage payments finally gained global attention. At-risk nations claimed they should be compensated for the destruction caused by climate change, which they did not cause.

Image Credits : White House from Wikimedia Commons

In 2022, Pakistan suffered from floods that killed over 1,700 people and left millions displaced. The country is one of the most climate-vulnerable nations in the world and contributes less than 1% to global emissions.

Nonetheless, Kehinde Andrews, a black studies lecturer at Birmingham City University, argues that experts need to think more broadly about the causes of the Industrial Revolution. “Global inequality is built on white supremacy,” he said. "But the UN, the World Bank, they will not mention it. It's the most obvious thing, but they will never talk about it.

And this climate reparations issue is the same thing, right? It's blatantly obvious what's happening. But we have to ignore it." (The Guardian)

Climate Justice

Climate justice isn't just about reducing carbon footprint or emissions, it is about accountability, owning up to the historic truth, equity, and development;

• The Global North must fund the climate adaptation and mitigation efforts in the Global South.
• The climate policies must include the interests of the Indigenous and frontline communities, from climate policies.
• The coming generations must not only learn the science but also the history and politics, behind climate change.

The countries that have exploited and polluted the most resources are the ones getting away and not paying what they owe. In order to achieve a just future, the past needs to be confronted and the system must be changed— not the weather.