A WRI podcast looked at what happened to the local community when some seemingly underused land was transformed into the world's third largest solar energy plant. The landowners got money, but the local agricultural laborers lost out. What does that say to you about how clean energy can widen wealth gaps? And as you kind of alluded to earlier, the poor often get screwed either way. They do.
According to the United Nations Development Program, 54 countries, accounting for half the world’s population, face such critical debt burdens that they simply cannot finance climate adaptation and mitigation on their own. Most of these same countries are in the most climate-vulnerable regions in the world, setting them up for compounding disasters.
At the same time, every nation on earth is being asked to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels — which enabled the richest countries to develop their economies. So how can those in the developing world make the transition to a clean energy economy while centering economic justice?
This episode is a collaboration with Foreign Policy’s Heat of The Moment podcast.
Guests:
Ani Dasgupta, President and CEO, World Resources Institute
This episode features stories from Amy Booth and Elna Schütz for Heat of The Moment podcast
For show notes and related links, visit our website.
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