It’s always people who don’t have the wherewithal who suffer the most. Whether it is recessions or environmental catastrophes, most wealthy people can ride out most events.
The Guardians’ Ed Pilkington provides incite to the differences between the experiences of those who are well-off and those who are not.
Widening inequality of income and wealth also means widely unequal capacity to withstand disaster. Consider 2 families now in danger:
One has food, water, other essentials to last for days; a solid home raised off the ground to resist storm surge; toughened windows capable of withstanding 155mph winds, including storm shutters and hurricane-resistant glass; sandbags; and an in-built generator should the electricity go down.
The other can’t afford hurricane-proof windows, or even plywood to over the windows; they can’t preserve enough food for four days; they haven’t been able to get a tank of gas to last them if they have to leave, and can’t afford to stay anywhere else anyway; they have no generator if the electricity goes down.
A civilized society would do everything possible to (1) reduce climate change, and (2) help the poorer and more vulnerable deal with its consequences.
By Ed Pilkington
