This week’s lecture is by far my favourite so far, I loved everything about it. The way the lecture was structured in terms of relating the week’s content of climate issues to one, specific, narrative made it very engaging for me and I felt that everything was explained in a very easily understandable manner, with official definitions being elaborated on in a simple manner for example. The use of one story was especially effective because it allows for multiple disciplines to be discussed, yet done so on a personal level.
Looking at climate change from a sociological perspective, I was reminded of an Instagram account I follow called “climatereality” (see below).
I came across one of their recent posts that stated that around 80% of people displaced by climate change are women, reminding me of the people living near the Mekong Delta and others that have to move away from their homes due to climate change and human interference. It highlighted how environmental and social issues are very much intertwined in such cases. The linked article (see here) discussed particularly how women tend to suffer more health issues, with evidence suggesting a link between climate change and increased asthma in young girls. Furthermore, women are more likely to suffer because around the globe the overall observed pattern is one where women have a lower socioeconomic power than men and are just overall less powerful.
It is thus obvious that vulnerable minority groups (be it ethnic, economic or social) suffer more. This was the case with the poorer Mekong delta farmers, who did not economically benefit from the possibility of a third crop as it would require paying for a fertiliser they previously did not have to (which naturally came in with the water). Not only this, but, according to a recent study by Eslami et al. (2019), the tidal waves in the area are increasing along with the salinity in the channels. On top of the locals having to move in the future, the biodiversity of fish and other animals are also affected (this also due to many not being to travel down to the Delta). This interconnected nature highlighted for me how everything we do has an impact. Globalisation, although aided by recent innovations such as technology, I feel is inherent to our planet and our environment. Only now, globalisation has both more negative and positive consequences as humans increasingly get involved.
Unfortunately, even if moving may be a difficult process, the communities can still be keen to leave the ruined places when the situation is extreme. Policymakers and the government then need to work on moving these large communities. An example of this is the “One Safe Future” (see here) government programme in the Philippines, which helped relocate families that lived near waterways and therefore in areas not suitable for housing. The country had suffered multiple typhoons (such as Typhoon Ondoy in 2009 and Yolanda in 2013) and it had taken a toll on the country. Holden and Marshall (2018) discuss typhoons in the Philippines in their paper, where they highlight that climate change and global warming are undoubtedly making the typhoons more powerful. This is because the higher temperatures not only increase the sea surface temperatures, but also have contributed to a rise in temperature of the world ocean’s at a depth of 75m. These higher temperatures favour tropical cyclones, making them stronger and stronger as it takes longer for the cooler water to be brought up to the surface.
The communities most affected by these typhoons were, yet again, financially less privileged and therefore their struggle did not end after being relocated, with concerns about food and going hungry being common. The economic inequalities in a country can therefore be exacerbated or, perhaps, brought into the limelight as a result of climate change. If these communities are relocated to cities, not only do they have to adapt to new environments and a new style of living, but within these communities they may be excluded and marginalised as the cities strive to put on a more “presentable” and “economically thriving” front. This brought to my mind issues of gentrification, where poorer communities are invalidated as richer restaurants and shops are established to better the economy of the area. This issue is something that also happens locally in the UK and I learnt about this topic from a Youtube commentary by Jordan Theresa:
She discusses how these poorer areas are often seen as “hip” and “trendy”. On a surface level, it may seem as if moving into an area and “bettering it” is a good thing. However, all this does is create a clear divide between the rich and the poor and, as wealthier people move in and profit from the cheaper rents and prices, the poorer community will suffer as a result. They will not be able to afford to shop in their own neighbourhood. Although this may not be a direct link to climate change, I feel that on a sociological and economical level this is an important thing to consider as this is still a human change that occurs, instigated by people. In all areas, environmental and social, the poorer communities are last to be considered. This is why I feel that environmental migrants will also face challenges other than their homes being ruined. These issues need to also be addressed.
Overall, this week, although I was aware of climate change and the human influence, I learnt more about the larger picture of it on a global scale and from an environmental, biological, economical and lastly, sociological perspective.
References
Eslami, S., Hoekstra, P., Trung, N. N., Kantoush, S. A., Van Binh, D., Quang, T. T., & van der Vegt, M. (2019). Tidal amplification and salt intrusion in the Mekong Delta driven by anthropogenic sediment starvation. Scientific reports, 9(1), 1-10.
Holden, W. N., & Marshall, S. J. (2018). Climate change and typhoons in the Philippines: extreme weather events in the anthropocene. In Integrating Disaster Science and Management (pp. 407-421). Elsevier.
Jordan Theresa (2020, July 6). the working class aesthetic & gentrification [Video File]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JXhrdrExT4
Ranque, L., & Quetulio-Navarra, M., (2015, May) ‘One Safe Future’ in the Philippines. Forced Migration Review. https://www.fmreview.org/climatechange-disasters/ranque-quetulionavarra
The Climate Reality Project. (2018, March 14). How is climate change affecting women? https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/how-climate-change-affecting-women
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