Research conducted by researchers at the University of Gothenburg shows that people tend to rate their own risk of being affected by climate change as lower than that of others. This perception may reduce individuals' willingness to act and slow down necessary climate measures.
  • HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org
    2·
    3 days ago

    I wholehearted agree. In conversation a concept people don’t instinctively understand, is that the world is dominated by global trade. It’s largely been great, but it exacts its own price in a way few understand - A globalized world means that a problem anywhere is a problem everywhere.

    Exactly.

    Imagine that climate change leads to really bad harvests in South East Asia, so much that there is famine in China. People still seem to be reassured by the fact that the Western G7 / OECD countries are on average more wealthy than people in China, so them seem to think that they will pay a bit more for food and people elsewhere will starve, because these poor people can’t compete with them on food prices.

    But that’s not what would happen. In lieu of rice, Chinese people would buy wheat on international markets. And while the average Chinese family is still poorer than the average American one, China, which has a billion of people, has a middle class which might be one hundred million strong. And these people would out-compete poor Americans on the food markets, I guess.

    Which would result in famine in the US and major political instability.