The ecological debt at the heart of climate issues
by Renaud Duterme*
Now that the media craze surrounding the Paris Agreement has died down, it’s time to step back and ask ourselves what are the main reasons for the failure of these successive summits. Many of the problems are well known, particularly in activist circles, such as our leaders’ absolute belief of in unsustainable economic growth, as well as the way large multinationals and other lobbies insinuate into the hidden complexities of these negotiations.
Additionally, there is another aspect to this which we believe to be under-represented: that of the North-South divide within the climate debate. This aspect is indeed of paramount importance as it represents a choice as to the model of “development” which can satisfy the needs of most people / the 99% without having a significant impact on the planet (or, rather, with a little impact as possible). Therefore, a failure of cooperation between countries of the ‘Centre’ (the North) and countries of the ‘Periphery’ (the South) ultimately results in preventing fundamental changes which are essential to prevent widespread environmental and social disasters.