6.2E Varying responsibility for climate change (HL) Notes

1. Countries differ significantly in how much they have contributed to global climate change.
2. Responsibility can be assessed using current emissions, cumulative emissions, per-capita emissions, and economic structure.
3. Industrialised nations and high-income economies have historically produced most greenhouse gases since the Industrial Revolution.
4. Some developing nations now have large national emissions due to population size, but their per-capita emissions remain low.
5. Oil-rich states have some of the world’s highest per-capita emissions due to energy-intensive lifestyles and resource extraction.

Current CO₂ Emissions: National Totals

1. Countries with the largest total annual CO₂ emissions include China, the United States, India, Russia, and Japan.
2. Large populations and rapid industrialisation increase national emissions, even when per-person emissions are modest.
3. China has the largest national emissions today due to manufacturing output and energy demand.
4. India’s national emissions are large because of its population, not because of high emissions per person.

Current CO₂ Emissions: Per Capita Patterns

1. The highest per-capita emissions are found in:
   1. oil-rich Gulf states such as Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates
   2. wealthy nations such as Australia, the USA, and Canada
   3. tourism-dependent islands with high transport and energy needs
2. Countries with large populations but lower incomes generally have far lower emissions per person.
3. Per-capita values show inequality in consumption and lifestyle patterns across the globe.

Cumulative Emissions Since the Industrial Revolution

1. Cumulative emissions provide the clearest picture of historical responsibility.
2. Since 1850, the United States and European nations have contributed the most to cumulative CO₂.
3. The USA alone has emitted over 400 billion tonnes of CO₂ since industrialisation began.
4. By comparison, India had only emitted 11 billion tonnes by 1990 and 57 billion tonnes by 2021 despite being one of the world’s largest populations.
5. This demonstrates that historical emissions from early industrialisation are responsible for much of today’s warming.

Which Countries Are Most Vulnerable to Climate Change?

1. Vulnerability is influenced by geography, economic capacity, political stability, and adaptive capability.
2. The most vulnerable countries typically include:
   1. Low-lying island states such as Kiribati, Tuvalu, the Maldives and the Marshall Islands
   2. Least developed countries (LDCs) in Africa such as Somalia, Chad, Ethiopia, Sudan and South Sudan
   3. Conflict-affected regions such as Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan and DR Congo
   4. Countries in the “Dry Corridor” of Central America including Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala
3. Vulnerable nations often face a combination of drought, famine, sea-level rise, coastal erosion, water scarcity, and extreme weather events.

Why the Least Responsible Are the Most Vulnerable

1. Countries with low historical emissions often lack economic resources for adaptation or resilience measures.
2. These countries rely heavily on agriculture, which is highly sensitive to temperature and rainfall changes.
3. Weak infrastructure and limited healthcare systems increase vulnerability during disasters.
4. Political instability or conflict decreases capacity to respond to climate emergencies.
5. Many vulnerable countries have geographic exposure to hazards such as cyclones, droughts or flood-prone river basins.

Environmental and Social Implications of Inequitable Vulnerability

1. Climate-driven migration increases as droughts, storms and sea-level rise threaten homes and livelihoods.
2. Food insecurity intensifies due to crop failure, livestock mortality and water shortages.
3. Health risks escalate as heatwaves, vector-borne diseases, malnutrition and contaminated water become more common.
4. National economies weaken because climate impacts reduce agricultural output and damage infrastructure.
5. Social stress increases, resulting in conflict over water, land and resources.

Political and Economic Implications of Inequal Responsibility

1. Countries debate who should pay for mitigation and adaptation efforts.
2. High-income nations face pressure to finance climate action in vulnerable nations through mechanisms such as the Loss and Damage Fund.
3. Emerging economies argue that industrialised nations must take greater responsibility due to their historical emissions.
4. Low-income countries demand access to funding, technology transfer, and capacity-building support.
5. International disagreements occur over whether to prioritise emissions reduction or economic development.