鈥淭he fundamental problem with environmental justice in the world today is that the people and the places that are most responsible for getting us into this mess seem to be the ones most capable of dealing with the problem.鈥�
So said sociologist earlier this February. A prolific writer and editor, and director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University, Klinenberg had been invited to speak at an event entitled 鈥淒isaster and Environmental Justice鈥�, of evenings looking at climate change through the lenses of disciplines outside the natural sciences.
鈥淭hose who have done so little to drive global warming,鈥� Klinenberg continued, 鈥渁re about to experience an acute crisis, if they haven鈥檛 already.鈥� The idea 鈥� that poorer nations will face the worst impacts of changes caused to the climate by the richest nations 鈥� is hardly new. But, according to both speakers that evening, it is one of which many in the US still seem unaware.
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Environmental injustice
Pulitzer prize-winning author and journalist was Klinenberg鈥檚 foil that evening, in a discussion about catastrophes and the role they play in galvanising people to deal with environmental injustice and global inequality.
Kolbert, a Pulitzer prize-winning environmental writer, revealed her chief anxiety: surprisingly, the US鈥檚 sheer ability to deal with the direct effects of global warming. A public and political assumption that because America is coping, climate change can鈥檛 really be that bad, would allow ignorance of global realities to continue, Kolbert feared. 鈥淚s that the messaging that we want? That the US is going to sail through this without any problems?鈥�
Though broadly sympathetic, Klinenberg argued that 2012鈥檚 Hurricane Sandy marked a sea change in American attitudes: 鈥淔or citizens here, Sandy made this concept of climate change transform from something that was abstract into something that felt concrete and somewhat terrifying,鈥� he said. His own research centres on New York鈥檚 attempts to rebuild after the damage the hurricane wreaked on the city 鈥� a multibillion dollar effort that will, he fears, widen the gap between the global rich and poor: 鈥淥ne of the dangers of the moment is that we鈥檙e starting to invest our resources into coping with climate change, and there鈥檚 a real risk that this will exacerbate inequalities. It鈥檚 expensive to build seawalls, and drainage systems, and new infrastructure. There are many places that will do this better than others.鈥�
Low priority for voters
鈥淥n the flip side,鈥� Kolbert argued, 鈥測ou could look at lower Manhattan and see there鈥檚 a phenomenal amount of value there. Whereas, if you have to move a low-lying slum in a developing country, you鈥檙e not moving all that much by way of infrastructure. So there are ways in which that equity issue can be flipped on its head.鈥� It鈥檚 an interesting idea: that poor populations may have the flexibility to relocate more easily than their megacity neighbours 鈥� though it opens up even more questions about inequality, migration and the fate of refugees, and none of these have easy answers, especially for a nation that has for so long struggled with the reality of climate change.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 expect that this conversation would take place the day after Donald Trump won an election, the , and ,鈥� Klinenberg observed. , 鈥淚t鈥檚 actually not the case that the majority of Americans doubt that climate change is real. We鈥檝e reached a point where most people do believe that the climate is changing, and they believe for the most part that it鈥檚 related to human behaviour. The bigger problem seems to be that when you rate climate change against other considerations, it ranks pretty low. Unemployment, access to healthcare, crime, abortion, immigration: all these things are going to take precedence when people go to vote.鈥�
Seeing how relatively little the environment features in the campaign rhetoric of the major presidential candidates this year, it鈥檚 hard not to subscribe to Klinenberg鈥檚 pessimistic outlook. The American public might finally be waking up to the truth about climate change, but for many, it鈥檚 still something that happens in the distant future 鈥� or, if it鈥檚 here and now, happens only in faraway places, and to other people.
狈驰鲍鈥檚 Environmental Humanities series runs in New York until 23 September: visit for details
