The latest groundswell of activism – Extinction Rebellion, school strikes and policy pushes like the Green New Deal (GND) – has focused on lobbying governments in the Global North to cut their domestic carbon emissions. This is vital. But a few rich countries switching to cleaner energy will not be enough to avoid climate breakdown: the world has to act together.
Given that industrialized countries have benefited from hundreds of years of fossil-fuelled imperialism at the expense of the Majority World, it’s their responsibility to repay that historic ‘carbon debt’. So when we take to the streets demanding action, we must also insist on funding and technology for clean energy for the Global South, to finance the switch away from fossil fuels and lift people out of poverty.
