A study from the PEW Research Center released on Oct. 16 surveyed 44 countries, asking each one to identify the greatest dangers in the world. Out of the five choices — pollution and environment, inequality, religious and ethnic hatred, nuclear weapons, AIDS and other diseases — the countries that identified pollution and the environment as the greatest danger were all developing countries.

Topping the list were Thailand, Colombia, Peru, The Philippines, China and Vietnam.

Among the developed nations, progress toward climate reform varies. This progress should continue and efforts must be further increased to ensure maximum preparation in handling our climate in the years to come. This is an issue of environmental justice, serving as a prime example of how continued Western pollution and capitalistic demand is endangering the rest of the world due to human caused climate change.

At the Climate Summit in NYC last month, India’s environment minister Prakash Javadekar stressed this same idea. He urged developed western nations to lead the way and provide funds and technology to developing nations, according to a Sept. 24 Economic Times article.

President Barack Obama had encouraging words at the Climate Summit saying, “There should be no question that the United States of America is stepping up to the plate. We recognize our role in creating the problem. We embrace our responsibility to combat it.”

In the United States, bipartisan struggle has prevented any significant climate change reform action from being passed through Congress. But Obama has utilized his executive powers, working with the Environmental Protection Agency to impose regulations on power plants, cutting CO2 emissions 30 percent from 2005 levels by 2030.

These executive actions have garnered much criticism, accused of being unconstitutional and an abuse of executive power. Remarks criticizing the president’s executive decisions completely ignore the severity of our current climate, framing alternative action meant to better the planet as an abuse of power.  The United States has the potential to further reduce GHG emissions, but without the support of Congress, for now, Obama’s executive actions are a step in the right direction.

The European Union is paving the way for the developed world, taking responsibility and leading the charge in curbing emissions to mitigate climate change risk to them, as well as the rest of the world. At an Oct. 24 summit in Brussels, EU leaders agreed to curb emissions 40 percent from 1990 levels before 2030. Additionally, they intend to raise renewable energy use to 27 percent of total energy use, CNBC reported.

This is fantastic on part of the EU and is an example of what can be achieved when branches of government, or in this case, governments, are on the same page regarding an issue as important as climate change.

Developing nations are facing the brunt of human-caused climate change, a problem they have had little responsibility in creating. The 2015 United Nations Climate Change conference is fast approaching. It will be imperative for developed Western countries to lead the fight against climate change in order to ensure safety for themselves, but more importantly, for the developing nations without the infrastructure in place to ensure the safety of their citizens from the effects of climate change.

Azor Cole is a junior public relations major and geography minor. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at azcole@syr.edu.

Published on October 29, 2014 at 12:01 am