Capitalism’s Climate Inequality: The Rich Keep Cool While the Poor Roast
People’s World
By: Sam Pizzigati
The heat. It’s never been hotter in our lifetimes.
This past spring, the mercury hit nearly 124 degrees Fahrenheit in the Pakistani city of Jacobabad—“just below the conventional estimate for the threshold of human survival,” notes science writer David Wallace-Wells.
This summer’s U.S. daily high temperatures continued our globe’s torrid pace.
In Phoenix, daily highs averaged well over 100 all summer long. Citing the “imminent threat” of heat-driven wildfires, Oregon’s governor declared a state of emergency last month. California, meanwhile, declared a statewide grid emergency amid surging demand for power during another record heatwave.
Stories like these might well be focusing people’s attention on climate change. But what’s getting less coverage is how these temperatures are connected to inequality.
