Introduction

HISTORY OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate watchers trace our current climate crisis to the era of the Industrial Revolution.

Known as one of the world's most profound economic and social transformations, the Industrial

Revolution introduced the use of machines instead of manual labor in producing goods (Kieger,

2023). It is noted to have started in the second half of the 18 th century in Europe, particularly

Great Britain, and moved to America and then to Asia by the 19 th century (Neuss, 2016). While it

was praised for introducing technological innovations leading to economic growth and new

opportunities, it also gained notoriety for its many other effects, such as pollution and the

emission of CO2 due to the use and burning of coal, a fossil fuel that powered machines in

factories (Kieger, 2023). Geologist and writer Hugh Miller gives a picturesque account of what

he saw when he visited England in 1847, specifically Manchester, where Europe’s industrial

revolution began. Miller recounted that “one receives one’s first intimation of Manchester’s

existence from the lurid gloom of the atmosphere that overhangs it. There is a murky blot in one

section of the sky, however clear the weather, which broadens and heightens as we approach.

And now the innumerable chimneys come in view, tall and dim in the dun haze, each bearing

atop its own pennon of darkness” (Miller, 1847, chapter III). Miller’s account of the pollution of

the atmosphere by industries provides a useful reference for the analysis of the world’s climate

challenges. Years after Miller’s account, the world’s climate has been worsened by more fossil

fuel use and other harmful human activities, leading to cataclysmic consequences.
 The whole world is reeling from the impact of climate change; however, some countries

have been disproportionately affected by the impact. One of such is the Least Developed

Countries (LDC). LDCs are countries that, according to the UN, are on the low-income strata of

the world’s economic classification and grapple with sustainable development due to fiscal and

structural challenges (UNCTAD, 2023). They are also characterized by their vulnerability to

external shocks, limited capacity for adaptation, and inadequate human assets (UNCTAD, 2022;

UNCTAD, 2023). Forty-six countries currently make the list of LDCs, distributed among four

regions: Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and the Pacific (UNCTAD, 2023).

Least Development Countries are particularly worried about climate change's impact on

their economies owing to their existing socio-economic constraints and have thus, since the

inception of the Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP), advocated for countries

responsible for the state of the world’s climate to act.

During COP 27 in Egypt, LDCs highlighted the major causes of climate change but

stressed on Historical Emissions and Global Inequality. LDCs argue that over centuries,

emissions from industrialized nations have significantly contributed to the climate change crisis

(UNCTAD, 2021). The accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the years,

primarily from burning fossil fuels during industrialization, has contributed to global warming.

According to the IPCC (2014) and the Global Carbon Project (Le Quéré et al., 2018), developed

countries are the primary sources of cumulative greenhouse gas emissions, shaping today’s

climate patterns. This corroborates Miller’s 18th-century observation of industrial pollution of

the climate.

LDCs have, over the years, been lamenting the disproportionate impact of the crisis on

their economies. During COP 27, LCDs highlighted displacement and vulnerability, Health and
well-being due to climate change’s effects on public health through the spread of diseases,

recently COVID-19, heat-related illnesses, and disruptions of healthcare systems, extreme

weather events leading to deadly hurricanes, floods, droughts, and heatwaves, food insecurity,

agricultural challenges and export marginalization, increased inequality between developing

countries and developed countries, climate injustice and intergenerational injustice, including

soaring debts as devastating impacts(FAO, 2016; UNCTAD, 2022; WHO, 2023)

According to LDCs, they believe that some strategies can help mitigate these devastating

impacts (LDC Climate Change, 2022.). They highlighted the following strategies: Adaptation:

they called for recognizing the challenges in implementing NAPs on climate change and the need

for enhanced support. Finance: they stressed the need for developed countries to fulfill their

commitment to providing financial support (Davis, n.d.). Mitigation: they stressed the need for

and importance of immediate and substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions across

sectors. Proposal for Loss and Damage: describing it as a crucial strategy, LDCs and other

groups over the past decades had insisted on a loss and damage fund; consequently, at COP 27,

this demand was met, and the group viewed this as a significant achievement. At COP 27,

deliberations on financing strategies for loss and damage commenced (LDC Climate Change,

2022). LDCs believe these strategies are critical to their economies as this will cushion them

against the shocks of the crisis and provide them with a strong social safety net for their fragile

economies (Ghana Web, 2023).

LDCs are collaborating with Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in climate adaptation

in response to the irreversible damages caused by climate change; because some SIDs are also

LDCs, they face common challenges. Through this collaboration, a new fund called the Loss and

Damage Fund was agreed to and established at COP 27 (Report World, 2023). It is imperative to
note that in their resolve to advocate for mitigation in terms of the downing of countries’

emission of CO2, LDC and SIS at COP 27 cited China and India for their high carbon emissions

and tasked them to take financial responsibility by contributing to the Loss and Damage Fund

(Lee, 2022). China has vehemently rejected contributing despite agreeing to the need for the

fund. China maintains that it is also a developing country and equally suffers from the impact of

climate change (Dickie & James, 2022). During this year’s COP 28 in Dubai, India affirmed its

support for the Loss and Damage Fund but stressed its need for coal, emphasizing its right to

pursue development (Singh, 2023; Reuters, 2023).

Conclusion

While Least Developed Countries continue to impress on developed countries to honor

their financial and mitigation obligations, it must also heighten its pressure on China and India.

China may call itself a developing country (Kanwit, 2023), but this classification does not

absolve it from its gigantic contribution to CO2 emissions. India may agree to its financial

obligations to the Loss and Damage Fund; it should, however, not be an excuse for its continuous

dependence on coal under the excuse of having the “right to develop.” In the end, mitigation

towers over adaptation.

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