Net zero won't end climate inequality, study finds — SkimNews
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- Dr Andrew King and climate scientists at the University of Melbourne found that temperatures have risen more significantly in tropical areas relative to their historic range than at higher latitudes, including in Europe and North America
- The study, published in Environmental Research Letters, concluded that this warming inequality would persist indefinitely even if global emissions reached net zero and could take "many decades to begin to reverse" under a net-negative emissions scenario
- King said wealthier countries that caused more of the warming "are not those that are the most exposed," while regions that contributed least to emissions experience the most warming
- King noted that even once the world reaches net zero, the enormous amount of CO2 already emitted will continue affecting the climate for centuries because it cannot be easily undone
- King warned that tropical ecosystems such as some coral reefs evolved in narrower temperature ranges than higher-latitude ecosystems and would remain heavily affected for longer as emissions are cut
- The study examined three sets of computer modelling experiments of likely temperature changes at net zero, overlaying the results with countries' gross domestic product to map the inequality
Why it matters: The Paris Agreement's implicit net-zero goal, which most nations have signed onto, will not by itself deliver climate equality — the countries least responsible for emissions will continue bearing disproportionate warming for decades afterward. Faster cuts now reduce that long-tail tropical heating, which is where the world's poorest communities and most heat-sensitive ecosystems are concentrated.
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