The Uncomfortable Link between Climate and Equity

The Great Simplification #82 with Kevin Anderson

This Week…

Last week, I discussed the origins of current climate models, science, and projections with Roger Pielke Jr. This week, I’m joined by climate scientist Kevin Anderson to unpack the options we have for averting severe climate outcomes and how these are interconnected with equity. As nations plan their climate goals and coordinate with each other, it’s clear that extreme actions would be needed from everyone to meet the goal of keeping the global average temperature increase below 2ºC - if this even remains possible. At the same time, there are wide disparities in the greenhouse gas emissions between the materially wealthiest and poorest within and across countries. How are past (carbon and energy) inequities already affecting people in climate impacted zones? 

Kevin is professor of Energy and Climate Change at the University of Manchester and visiting professor at the Universities of Uppsala (Sweden) and Bergen (Norway). Formerly he held the position of Zennström professor (in Uppsala) and was director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research (UK). Kevin engages widely with governments, industry and civil society, and remains research active with publications in Climate policy, Nature and Science. He has a decade’s industrial experience in the petrochemical industry, is a chartered engineer and fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

How can concerned individuals begin incorporating changes and communicating with others in their own lives - and is it even worth it to do so? How can we attempt to balance the equity in standards of living and create rapid reductions in emissions, all while grappling with growing geopolitical tensions, declining energy availability, and the multitude of other converging risks in this impending poly-crisis.

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In case you missed it…

In this Part 2 of a 4 part Frankly ‘mini-series’, I offer a short recap on the centrality of energy - and particularly oil - to our modern way of life. I then reflect on 10 systemic inferences for our situation due to the embedded nature of oil in our socio-economic system.

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