(Energy) poverty is very bad for humans and the environment

It’s time to stop pretending that the planet will be saved by maintaining energy poverty in low-income states

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I: On the global distributive politics of climate change

Two recent news items illustrate the challenges facing low-income countries trying to escape poverty and underdevelopment in an age of climate change; and the continuing inability to have a reasonable discussion on the subject at a global level.

In South Sudan, the government directed the closure of all schools due to intolerably high temperatures. Consequently, 2.2m children had to stay home. South Sudan’s school attainment rates are already deplorably bad. Secondary school enrollment rate is barely above 11%. These kinds of disruptions, which undoubtedly will become more common as global temperatures rise, will only worsen education attainment rates and therefore dampen South Sudan’s growth prospects. In general, research suggests that failure to mitigate high temperatures will …