As global temperatures continue to rise because of climate change, its devastating impacts disproportionately affect those living in poverty. The causes of climate change, primarily driven by greenhouse gas emissions, create a cascade of environmental challenges – from rising sea levels to ocean acidification and shifting rainfall patterns.

These changes hit impoverished communities the hardest, potentially pushing millions deeper into poverty as they struggle with deteriorating environmental conditions that affect everything from housing security to healthcare access.

This disparity is particularly pronounced in low-income countries, where limited resources hamper their ability to combat these challenges effectively. Climate change not only exacerbates inequalities within nations but also widens the economic divide between countries, as some regions face greater environmental risks while lacking the means to address them adequately.

Green apartheid

In the last ten years, using wildlife to help the economy and protect animals has become popular in southern Africa.

This approach follows a historical pattern of market-based conservation strategies, commonly known as ‘fortress conservation’. Local communities are losing their ancestral lands to luxury tourism projects. Exclusive wildlife estates and timeshares in private reserves are modern examples of nature commodification.

Historically, wildlife and conservation organisations like WESSA (Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa) focused solely on protecting the hunting privileges of ‘great white hunters’.

Today’s model continues to promote the privatisation and commodification of wildlife as morally sound, inclusive, and environmentally sustainable. However, this approach proves problematic, particularly against southern Africa’s backdrop of severe socio-economic and racial disparities.

WESSA receives substantial international funding for their ‘Blue Flag Beaches’ programme, providing infrastructure and personnel to monitor these pristine, formerly apartheid-era beaches that historically excluded poor and non-white populations.

Meanwhile, WESSA Friends Groups and neighbouring communities receive minimal support from an organisation supposedly dedicated to environmental protection and community empowerment.

The wildlife economy is unsustainable and strengthens injustices in three particular ways.

Firstly, its environmental sustainability is compromised by heavy reliance on fossil fuels. Major fossil fuel companies facilitate tourist transport, including flights to wildlife destinations.

Secondly, the wildlife economy lacks social sustainability. Land ownership and natural resource access remain racially skewed.

These disparities create what we term a “new green apartheid”. For instance, Black communities near conservation areas often struggle with water scarcity, while predominantly white tourists and estate residents enjoy abundant borehole water for wildlife viewing, swimming pools, and golf courses.

Thirdly, the wildlife economy approach often overlooks local contexts while pursuing biodiversity conservation goals.

Eliot Levine of Mercy Corps says climate change will increase the gap between the rich and the poor in terms of resources.

“Climate change impacts are already evident worldwide, and recent IPCC reports indicate we’re rapidly approaching more severe and widespread effects than previously anticipated,” he emphasises.

“The world’s most impoverished communities often inhabit environmentally vulnerable regions, facing political, social, and economic marginalisation that makes them particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change,” explains Christina Chan, who heads the Climate Resilience Practice at the World Resources Institute, in a conversation with Global Citizen. Intense storms, floods, droughts, and erratic rainfall are making it difficult for these communities to maintain a sustainable life.

Read more about Southern Africa’s flawed conservation models here.

Food and Water Scarcity

Millions in Ethiopia face hunger and thirst due to a terrible drought.

Global hunger saw its first rise in years during 2019, with sub-Saharan Africa experiencing the most dramatic increase due to severe drought conditions devastating crops. Zimbabwe faces a particularly dire situation, with over 7 million people requiring food assistance after their 2019 harvest dropped by 50% compared to the previous year, with similar poor yields expected this season. The food security crisis extends across Southern Africa, affecting more than 45 million people.

While crop yields fluctuate annually due to various factors including resource limitations, technological gaps, economic downturns, conflicts, and political instability, climate change poses a uniquely destructive threat, potentially pushing half a billion people into poverty and food insecurity. Sub-Saharan Africa has witnessed unprecedented drought durations, triggering widespread crop failures, livestock deaths, food shortages, and deepening poverty.

These agricultural disruptions are manifesting globally, producing comparable economic consequences. Agricultural productivity could decline by up to 30% in coming years, threatening 500 million small-scale farmers’ livelihoods precisely when food demand is projected to surge by 98% by 2050.

Farmers’ food production is being severely and increasingly affected by climate change, according to Levine. “It’s also compromising their ability to grow nutritionally diverse foods, a challenge that existed even before climate change added this new layer of complexity.”

Climate change-induced droughts are severely straining global freshwater resources. Currently, one-quarter of the world’s population faces acute water shortages, with projections suggesting up to 50% could experience water scarcity by 2050.

Major urban centres like São Paulo and Cape Town have recently faced near-complete water depletion, offering a glimpse into a future where strict water rationing becomes commonplace. Cape Town implemented water police to monitor neighbourhoods and penalise excessive water usage. Ironically, the city now faces the opposite challenge, with severe storms causing floods that force evacuations and contaminate clean water supplies.

Water scarcity also threatens regional stability in certain areas. The Syrian conflict has been partially attributed to a drought that forced rural populations into urban areas seeking opportunities. The resulting unemployment led to widespread protests and unrest that ultimately contributed to the war’s outbreak.

“The intensifying effects of climate change are already straining diplomatic relations over water resources between nations with established agreements,” Levine observed. “The situation becomes even more concerning when we consider regions lacking international water treaties. How can we ensure equitable water distribution without domestic frameworks, much less cross-border agreements?”

Air Pollution

Wildfires rage under smoke plumes on Table Mountain, Cape Town. Trevor Davies

The recurring wildfires in Cape Town have displaced tens of thousands from their homes. However, evacuation doesn’t guarantee safety. Even those who successfully fled remain affected by the severe air pollution released into the atmosphere.

As one of the major causes of climate change continues to worsen, forest fires are becoming increasingly frequent and intense, impacting millions of people’s health yearly. Air pollution from industrial sources, including factories and vehicles, contributes to an estimated 8.79 million premature deaths annually.

The burden of air pollution falls disproportionately on communities already struggling with poverty. These populations often reside in congested areas near industrial zones and lack resources for air purifiers or temporary relocation during poor air quality periods. Approximately 92% of pollution-related fatalities occur in low- and middle-income nations.

Forest fires are increasingly undermining improvements in air quality. The World Health Organization reported that the 2019 Amazon rainforest fires in Brazil created hazardous air conditions, particularly affecting children’s health.

Climate change impacts health through various other mechanisms. Life-threatening heatwaves are becoming more frequent worldwide, creating dangerous conditions even for healthy people. While these heatwaves affect everyone, they pose particular risks to impoverished communities lacking access to air conditioning or protection from water scarcity.

According to Mahir Ilgaz, associate director of advocacy and campaigns at 350.org, “Beyond a certain threshold, adapting to climate change becomes virtually impossible. Cities like Mumbai are rapidly approaching temperatures incompatible with human habitation.”

Rising temperatures are also expanding the habitat range of disease vectors like mosquitoes. These insects transmit potentially fatal diseases such as malaria, which historically has most severely affected impoverished communities. Water- and food-borne illnesses are also increasing due to more frequent extreme rainfall events causing floods that contaminate water sources and agricultural land.

The escalating health challenges linked to climate change are exacerbated by inadequate healthcare access globally, particularly in impoverished regions. United Nations (UN) data indicates that only about 20% of countries have healthcare systems prepared for climate change impacts. Meanwhile, over half the world’s population lacks reliable healthcare access, and the World Bank reports that health-related expenses push nearly 100 million people into poverty annually.

Threatened Livelihoods

Small-scale farmers depend on their crops for sustenance and income. When climate change-related events such as droughts or natural disasters force them from their land, they often sink deeper into poverty. While farmers in wealthy nations can rely on insurance to recover quickly from poor harvests and disasters, those in low-income countries typically lack such protection. “Their recovery process is significantly longer, more challenging, and fraught with greater risks,” Levine noted.

The same challenges confront small-scale fisheries in developing nations, where daily catches determine survival. As one of the major causes of climate change continues to affect our oceans, warming them at an unprecedented rate compared to land environments, marine ecosystems face severe disruption. This forces fish populations to migrate, making it increasingly difficult for local fishers to meet their basic quotas.

The impact of climate change on livelihoods dependent on subsistence activities – particularly farming and fishing in developing countries – poses an existential threat to communities already grappling with poverty. These vulnerable populations often lack the essential resources and infrastructure needed to build climate resilience. While farming and fishing represent just two professions, they encompass hundreds of millions of individuals worldwide. In numerous nations, agriculture serves as the economic backbone, with fishing providing another crucial source of commerce and sustenance.

The economic repercussions of climate change will prove particularly disruptive for vulnerable communities. According to the World Bank, impoverished families will face mounting challenges as food and water costs surge due to intensifying droughts and increasingly frequent natural disasters.

Climate change also places a substantial financial burden on developing countries, forcing them to redirect vital resources towards addressing environmental emergencies. In 2019 alone, nations collectively spent £150 billion addressing climate change-related disasters, excluding additional expenditure on infrastructure updates and climate resilience initiatives. These climate-focused allocations inevitably reduce funding available for essential services like healthcare, education, job training, and other crucial poverty reduction programmes.

The Way Forward

What connects Leonardo DiCaprio, Pope Francis, and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights?

Each has leveraged their platform to highlight the intricate relationship between poverty and climate change—emphasising that addressing one necessitates tackling the other.

Pope Francis has condemned global inaction on climate change as “a cruel act of injustice towards the poor,” while DiCaprio astutely observed that “the environment and the struggle for the world’s poor are closely linked.” Philip Alston, the UN rapporteur, issued a stark warning in 2019 about an impending “climate apartheid.”

Climate change looms as a universal threat, manifesting through severe droughts, devastating storms, and unprecedented heat waves. However, these impacts disproportionately affect vulnerable populations worldwide, posing the greatest risk to those already struggling with poverty.

The battles against climate change and poverty are fundamentally interconnected. Investments in climate change mitigation and adaptation inherently reduce poverty, while poverty reduction initiatives enhance communities’ resilience to mounting environmental challenges.

According to the WRI, countries can support farmers with climate-resistant and nutritious seeds while facilitating access to loans, grants, markets, technologies, and data to enhance crop yields. They can invest in reforestation and coastline restoration projects to improve water security, protect communities from natural disasters, and generate economic opportunities.

Most crucially, nations must reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to clean energy economies to prevent further climate deterioration. The shift from fossil fuels to clean energy could potentially boost the global economy by £20 trillion by 2030.

“Breaking down support for the fossil fuel industry is crucial,” Ilgaz emphasised. “This encompasses various actions—from divestment to halting aid for infrastructure projects. The priority should be keeping fossil fuels in the ground.”

Organisations like the Green Climate Fund and the International Fund for Agricultural Development are working diligently to help communities adapt to escalating climate risks whilst fostering their prosperity in changing environments.

Ilgaz emphasised that nations must develop equitable transition strategies to support workers in fossil fuel-dependent sectors find new employment opportunities and economic stability. He noted that these strategies must fundamentally reconsider humanity’s relationship with nature and natural resource utilisation.

“The causes of climate change are deeply intertwined with broader environmental challenges we’re witnessing with increasing frequency,” Ilgaz explained.

Crucially, these initiatives must incorporate local community perspectives. Rising inflation and crop shortages impact basic commodity prices. Trevor Davies

“While local communities bear the brunt of climate change impacts and poverty, they rarely have meaningful input in the selection, planning, and implementation of interventions that directly affect their lives,” Chan from WRI observed. “Perhaps the most vital action we can take is increasing local-level funding for municipal councils, community organisations, and grassroots groups who identify, prioritise, implement, and monitor climate adaptation solutions.”

Levine highlighted that insufficient funding remains the primary obstacle preventing climate resilience programmes from gaining momentum in vulnerable regions.

“We can discuss water security, early warning systems, and climate-smart agriculture, but these initiatives won’t materialise without adequate funding,” he stated. “If we can’t channel resources to where they’re most needed, if we can’t transform plans into action, then our discussions remain purely theoretical.”

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