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Climate Crisis: Tropics Face Longest Warming
22 Sep
Summary
- Tropical regions face prolonged warming despite net-zero emissions goal.
- Climate inequality persists indefinitely even after reaching net zero.
- Statelessness risk increases due to climate-driven disasters.
New research indicates that the tropics, home to many of the world's poorest populations, will be among the last regions to benefit from global emissions cuts. Even if the 2015 Paris Agreement's implicit goal of net-zero emissions is achieved, the enhanced warming in tropical areas relative to historic levels is not expected to reverse quickly. Scientists from the University of Melbourne found that this inequality could persist indefinitely and may take many decades to begin reversing even with net-negative emissions.
Scientists leading the study emphasize that wealthier nations, which have contributed more to the problem, are not the most exposed to warming. Regions that have historically contributed less to greenhouse gas emissions are experiencing the most significant temperature increases. Dr. Andrew King highlighted that the extent of future warming in the planet's poorest regions depends on emissions before net zero is reached, stressing the need to achieve this goal sooner to limit long-term inequality.
Separately, a report from the UN refugee agency, in collaboration with the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness, warns that the climate crisis is exacerbating the risk of statelessness. This is due to displacement caused by climate-driven disasters like floods, fires, and sea-level rise, which particularly threaten low-lying island nations. The report calls for international support to prevent climate-induced statelessness by digitizing citizenship records and ensuring children retain citizenship after disasters.
