L'expressionSud Global«est plus qu'une métaphore du sous-développement. Elle fait référence à toute une histoire de colonialisme, de néo-impérialisme et de changements économiques et sociaux différentiels qui ont permis de maintenir de grandes inégalités en termes de niveau de vie, d'espérance de vie et d'accès aux ressources.» -Dados and Connell (2012) [1] .
Notez qu'une alternative au terme « Sud Global » est MAPA (personnes et zones les plus affectées). Voir notre page de définitions sur les MAPA pour plus d'informations.
Les connaissances partagées sur cette page viennent de:
1) Le webinaire « Fair Shares » organisé en collaboration par le HUB et Climate Emergency Unit tenu le 11 octobre.
Cet événement réunissait :
Anjali Appadurai (Elle): organisatrice pour la justice climatique et communicatrice. Elle a travaillé à la convention des Nations unies sur le climat pour veiller à ce que les revendications des mouvements sociaux soient entendues dans les lieux de pouvoir. Elle dirige le centre Padma pour la justice climatique, un projet qui rassemble les communautés diasporiques pour renforcer le pouvoir autour des questions de justice climatique et économique. Elle est directrice de campagne au Climate Emergency Unit.
Meena Raman (Elle): Responsable des programmes du Third World Network (TWN), qui coordonne la programmation et soutient les négociations intergouvernementales sur le climat. Présidente des Amis de la Terre (FOE) de Malaisie et membre de FOE International. Conseillère juridique de l'Association des consommateurs de Penang. Elle a fondé le premier cabinet juridique d'intérêt public en Malaisie.
Ceecee Holz (Iel): Personne chercheuse principale au Climate Equity Reference Project et chargée de la direction exécutive du Climate Equity Reference Project Canada. Personne affiliée à la recherche de l'Institut de l'environnement de Stockholm, iel donne un cours à l'université Carlton dans le cadre d'un master spécialisé dans le changement climatique. Ses études portent sur les politiques internationales et canadiennes en matière de changement climatique, et plus particulièrement sur le rôle de l'équité et de la justice en tant qu'éléments facilitateurs de l'action. Iel a été à la direction exécutive du Réseau Action Climat Canada. Iel participe depuis plus de dix ans aux activités de plaidoyer du Réseau Action Climat International dans le cadre des négociations des Nations unies sur le changement climatique.
2) Ressources additionnelles compilées par Bryan Giroux et Kenzie Harris.
L'injustice dans les pays du Sud est une question de justice climatique
1) Émissions historiques et responsabilité : Les nations riches ont causé et perpétuent la crise climatique en exploitant les ressources, les terres et la main-d'œuvre des pays du sud.
Le (néo)colonialisme a entraîné une répartition inégale des terres, des conflits fonciers actuels et l'extractivisme dans les pays du Sud.(Estermann, J., 2014). [2]
Meena Raman: Le colonialisme et l'esclavage ont créé les inégalités que nous connaissons aujourd'hui. Les pays qui en ont bénéficié doivent être tenus responsables des émissions qu'ils ont générées.
Anjali Appadurai a expliqué que la plupart des émissions cumulées proviennent d'Amérique du Nord, d'Europe et d'Asie. Les émissions les plus faibles proviennent de l'Inde, de l'Afrique, de l'Amérique du Sud et de l'Océanie.
Les 50 % les plus pauvres de la population mondiale n'émettent que 7 % du total des gaz à effet de serre. (Migration to Asia Peace, 2022). [3]
Selon un rapport d'Oxfam, les modes de vie privilégiés des pays du Nord produisent une empreinte carbone cent fois supérieure à celle des pays du Sud. (Riaz, A., 2021). [4]
Ceecee Holz explique que les pays riches et à fortes émissions ont des parts équitables qui dépassent leurs propres émissions. Dans la plupart des cas, l'ampleur de la coopération internationale dépasse l'ampleur de l'effort national.
Le Nord global, pour son seul bénéfice, extrait une main-d'œuvre et des ressources bon marché dans le Sud global.
Meena Raman: L'accord de Paris rend nos gouvernements responsables au niveau international. Les contributions déterminées au niveau national peuvent être mesurées par rapport à cet accord. L'expression « net zéro » est utilisée pour éviter toute responsabilité internationale. Le Canada souhaite poursuivre la production et l'expansion des combustibles fossiles jusqu'en 2050. Cela ne correspond pas à la responsabilité internationale.
2) Droit au développement humain
Pour la justice, il faut un droit égal par personne aux ressources de la planète, dans le respect des limites écologiques. (Gonzalez, C.,2015). [5]
3) Des capacités et des moyens différents : Le Nord de la planète a causé de manière disproportionnée la crise du climat et de la dette, mais c'est le Sud de la planète qui en porte le plus lourd fardeau.
La domination du secteur extractif par les pays du Nord a entraîné la dépendance et le « sous-développement » du Sud. (Estermann, J., 2014). [6]
Les pays du Sud exportent des matières premières, de l'énergie, des terres et de la main-d'œuvre pour une valeur de 10 000 milliards de dollars par an afin d'éponger la dette des pays du Nord. (Migration to Asia Peace, 2022) [7]
La répartition inégale des coûts du changement climatique ne fait qu'aggraver l'écart de richesse entre le Nord et le Sud. Le prix élevé des prêts destinés à l'atténuation et à l'adaptation désavantage encore plus les pays du Sud, qui sont les plus touchés par la crise climatique. Ils accumulent une dette climatique pour une crise qu'ils n'ont pas provoquée. (Rice, J., 2009) [8]
Ceecee Holz explique que les pays les plus dépendants de l'extraction auront besoin de plus de temps pour éliminer progressivement l'extraction (Irak, Soudan du Sud, Congo). Les pays plus riches et moins dépendants devront se retirer plus rapidement (États-Unis, Canada, Royaume-Uni, Norvège). L'extraction doit être réduite le plus rapidement possible là où les coûts sociaux sont les plus faibles. Quelle est la capacité d'un pays à surmonter l'arrêt progressif de l'extraction des combustibles fossiles ?
Examples around the world
Meena Raman in Malaysia
(Paraphrased)
I worked with fishing communities facing water pollution. Fish were dying from factories dumping industrial waste in the water, and farmers were suffering pesticide poisoning. In the 80s, we were trying to address some of these basic problems in food, water and fish. We were only looking at the environmental issues causing local impacts.
But when we looked further, we saw this was connected to International trade. Our economy was connected to Global North economies. Industrialism was about mass production and consumption for the North. So it goes beyond regulation at the National level. It's about who is driving the investments. Everything is about protecting the 'big guys' (big oil, big pharma etc.); they don't care about people in the environment. We suffer at the hands of their investments.
The Global South are commodity producers, selling at very low prices which are determined by New York and other stock exchanges. When prices go down, we go into a debt crisis, and the IMF and World Banks offer more loans to increase our debt.
Meena also pointed out that marginalized communities in rich and powerful countries, such as Indigenous communities in North America, also suffer from these systems. See MAPA (most affected people and areas) for more.
Israel‘s occupation and apartheid, which denies Palestinians the right to manage their land and resources, makes them more vulnerable to climate-related events.
Water: Gaza’s acute shortage of potable water from climate change was worsened by Israel’s restrictions on the entry of materials and fuel needed for wastewater treatment. Sewage infiltrated Gaza’s aquifer and flows untreated into Gaza’s coastal waters, damaging marine life and health. 97% of Gaza’s water is unhealthy for human consumption and contaminated water causes 1/4 of all illness in Gaza. While Palestinian villages struggle to adapt to water scarcity, Israeli settlements enjoy unlimited access to water for drinking, to irrigate crops and lawns, and for swimming pools. 640,000 settlers in the West Bank consume 6x the water of 2.9 million Palestinians.
Food: Israel’s military prevents Palestinians from using the 20% of Gaza's arable land next to Israel’s militarized fence, and targets Gaza’s farmland with herbicides .A study by Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network explained in 2014 when Israel dropped 21,000 tonnes of explosives on the Gaza strip, it resulted in extensive soil damage and reduced agricultural productivity. Moreover, Israel's removal of olive trees to weaken Palestinians’ connection to the land and economic self-sufficiency is greenwashed by Israel's planting of trees. Israel has uprooted 800,000 olive trees since 1967. Olive trees represent peace and Palestinians connection to the land
Energy: 98% of Israel’s electricity production comes from fossil fuels, and Palestinians are given an average of 12 hours per day to use it. Israelis are given unlimited access. Palestinians have turned to solar panels to create their own electricity. Panels have been targeted by Israel's bombing. Moreover, the Israeli military seizes solar panels sent by humanitarian aid groups for Palestinian communities, even while it has passed progressive laws requiring the installation of solar panels on all new buildings.
Waste: Israel routinely dumps its waste in occupied Palestine. Palestinians burn plastic waste for income, contributing to the increasing levels of cancer among Palestinians.
Funding from the West: Countries in the West support Israel's occupation by purchasing weapons and other goods from Israel, and selling weapons to Israel. Between 2018-2022, Canada imported $132 million dollars worth of weapons from Israel. Canadian companies such as Canada's big banks fund technology used by the Israeli military. For example, Scotia bank holds the largest foreign share of an Israeli weapons manufacturer.
To deal with rising inflation and energy costs caused by fossil fuel companies (see our page on Class issues/labour and the climate movement for more on this), European government's are promoting new oil and gas extraction and export infrastructure.
European leaders have announced deals to increase gas production and exports with Egypt, Senegal, Angola and Republic of Congo.
Oil and gas extraction and export undermines existing commitments to keep temperatures to 1.5°C and to phase out international finance for oil and gas, which was promised in Glasgow at COP26.
"It also risks undermining African development, saddling countries with debts for export-oriented gas production for which there will be fewer and fewer customers as demand drops, leaving African people on the hook to cover the costs of these stranded assets." -Evelyn Acham[11]
"In Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan initially cut off Armenians’ gas supply and then their electricity. Throughout the harsh winter, Armenians could only sporadically access hot water thanks to solar water heaters. These renewable sources threaten the power of those who profit from wars and oil, thereby weakening the economic foundations of authoritarian regimes and reducing their incentives for military aggression." -Amara Possain[13]
Western nations wage wars to secure access to fossil fuels, targeting governments that nationalize oil companies. The Middle East, which holds over half of the world’s oil reserves, has been a point of conflicts driven by imperialism and greed.
The Congo Basin sequesters more carbon than the Amazon or any other rainforest.
"The infrastructure of Congo has been intentionally designed for mass extraction since colonial rule began in the 1800s, leaving the majority of the Congolese people without access to their own land nor the ability to alter or end the extractive processes which governments and corporations profit from. This very design is why one of the most mineral-rich countries in the world has one of the highest poverty rates on the planet." -Friends of the Congo
Congo has cobalt, gold, copper and coltan, which fuels batteries for our cell phones, electric vehicles, and wind turbines. Extreme exploitation is present in these mines, including the use of child miners, and the deadly pollution impacting the communities.
As of October 2023, 6.9 million Congolese people have been displaced due to violence and rebel attacks, fuelled by profits possible due to Western influence. For example, Rwanda have also been accused of funding rebel groups such as M23 to invade Congo for cobalt extraction. Rwanda has a close relationship with the West, who are eager to access cobalt.)
255,000 Congolese citizens mine cobalt, and at least 40,000 of them are children. Much of the work is small-scale mining where labourers primarily use their hands, and earn less than $2 per day.
Mined minerals are often hazardous and exposure to some can have profound health effects. There is also a constant risk of falling into open mine shafts, being trapped, or injured by collapsing tunnels, or drowning while mining underwater. In a survey, World Vision also found that 19 per cent of miners have witnessed a child die at a mining site, 67 per cent reported frequent or persistent coughing, and several girls had genital infections after working waist-deep in acidic water. In addition, up to 2,000 people die from cobalt mining accidents in the DRC every year. Miners also face sexual assault and forced evictions." -Victoria Audu
The extraction of mineral resources requires cutting down trees and causes the contamination of water bodies. Fish are contaminated with high levels of cobalt.
We must do our 'fair share' to achieve climate justice
What does 'fair share' mean?
Anjali Appadurai explains:
To keep global emissions below 1.5 degrees, we must cumulatively reduce about 400 Gt of carbon.
Effort to reduce this much carbon is divided between the world's governments.
How we divide fairly depends on...
1) Historical emissions and responsibility (considering inequities created by colonialism, enslavement)
2) Right to human development (bring people out of poverty, get people educated, safe and health)
3) Differing capabilities and capacities (based on who benefited from colonialism, enslavement)
Why do our fair share?
Sharing the burden fairly is our only change to calm the crisis. No country can protect it's own climate by reducing its own emissions alone; there is a need for cooperation.
It's International law. Ceecee Holz explains that it's included in the UN Framework on Climate Change. For example, it's stated that developed countries must take the lead, and that common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities exist.
Uniting in solidarity and common cause is how we win!
What is Canada's fair share?
Must lower emissions by 140% of 2005 levels by 2030 (#'s are higher now)
How do we reduce more than 100%?
Domestic energy transition (-60%)
Climate finance, technology and capacity support, loss and damage contributions to developing countries (80%). This is in addition to domestic reduction.
Anjali Appadurai shared that our role is to:
Expose the pretence, duplicity and hypocrisy of policymakers who undermine fairness
Push governments for transparency and courage on meeting climate obligations
Show our governments that climate finance and fossil fuel phase out are important to us and we will vote accordingly
