COVID and Climate Emergencies in the Majority World Confronting Cascading Crises in the Age of Consequences

The Covid pandemic has amplified the hardships people are experiencing from human-induced climate change and its impact on weather extremes. Those in the Majority World are most effected by such global crises, and the pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities of these populations while highlighting the differences between them and those fortunate to live in the Minority World. This book presents an overview of the impact of the climate emergency punctuated by a pandemic, discussing the expanding inequalities and deteriorating spaces for democratic public engagement. Pandemic responses demonstrate how future technological, engineering, political, social, and behavioural strategies could be constructed in response to other crises. Using a critical analysis of these responses, this book proposes sociotechnical alternatives and just approaches to adapt to cascading crises in the Majority World. It will be valuable for social science students and researchers, policymakers, and anyone interested in inequality and vulnerability in developing countries.

1. Portrait of a grief; 2. Collapsing dominoes; 3. Vulnerabilities amplified; 4. Walled world; 5. Obscene opulence; 6. Climate nationalism; 7. Toggling the system; 8. Decluttering consumption; 9. Confronting neoliberalism; 10. Ceasing arrogance; 11. Making amends; 12. Collective solidarities; 13. Decolonising from within; 14. Indigenous epistemology; 15. Communicating risks; 16. The hubris of control; 17. Mobilising the 3.5%; References; Index.

Laurence L. Delina is assistant professor of environment and sustainability at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He is a Filipino academic working on just energy transition and resilient climate adaptation, especially in the Majority World, in response to the accelerating anthropogenic climate crisis.