Natural Disasters and Inequality
Disasters and Ethics
Natural disasters bring into clear view the inequalities of every society but any crisis is also an opportunity for every individual to engage in meaningful practices and acts of kindness. The ideal of the good points to the need for effective measures as well as the respect for the rights of people. A moral society has a compassion for those who are in difficult situations and the understanding of the duty of justice. Government efforts need the cooperation of the public and the private sector has to rise above its corporate goals to be in solidarity with society as it pursues the path toward recovery and sustainability.
Why demand climate justice?
The hardest hit are the poor who do not have safety nets nor property insurance schemes. They can only depend on government for any type of assistance. But one missing narrative here is the fact that unusual weather patterns and catastrophes are a result of the changing climactic conditions brought about by decades of environmental abuse and exploitation. For the longest time, industrial countries have enjoyed the benefits of economic expansion at the expense of poor societies that lack good infrastructure and resources to mitigate the impact of natural disasters.
- Editors
