Extreme weather events are deeply intertwined with global patterns of inequality. The poorest and most vulnerable people bear the brunt of climate change impacts yet contribute the least to the crisis. As the impacts of climate change mount, millions of vulnerable people face disproportionate challenges in terms of loss of jobs, extreme events, health effects, food, water, migration and forced displacement, loss of home, shelter and community ties, and other related risks.
Some people are more vulnerable to climate change than others. For example, workers in sectors such as agriculture, fishing, and tourism rely on natural resources that are particularly sensitive to increasingly unpredictable weather and seasonal patterns. Female-headed households, children,?,??and ethnic minorities, landless tenants, migrant workers, displaced persons, older people, and other socially marginalized groups often have fewer financial and other resources to cope with and recover from shocks which might threaten their wellbeing and the wellbeing of their families. The root causes of their vulnerability lie in a combination of their geographical locations; their financial, socio-economic, cultural, and social status; and their access to resources, services, and decision-making power.?
The poor are often not just among the most vulnerable to climate change, but also disproportionately impacted by measures to address it. These impacts can include increased costs of living, loss of livelihoods, and limited access to resources and support systems, which exacerbate existing inequalities and poverty trends. In the absence of well-designed and citizen-centered policies, efforts to tackle climate change can have unintended consequences for the livelihoods of certain groups, including placing a higher financial burden on poor households. For example, policies that expand public transport or carbon pricing may lead to higher public transport fares which can disproportionately impact poorer households. Similarly, if not designed in collaboration with beneficiaries and affected communities, approaches such as limiting forestry activities to certain times of the year could adversely impact indigenous communities that depend on forests year-round for their livelihoods. In addition to addressing the distributional impacts of decarbonizing economies, there is also a need to understand and address the social dimensions, cultural and political economy aspects — including agreeing on the types of transitions needed (economic, social, etc.) and identifying opportunities to address inequalities in these processes.
While much progress has been made on the science and the types of policies needed to support a transition to low carbon, climate resilient development, a challenge facing many countries is engaging citizens who are concerned that they will be unfairly impacted by climate policies. Citizen-centered programs are essential as they ensure that every dollar is spent efficiently. It is critical that people are brought along in the choices to be made — this requires transparency, access to information and citizen engagement on climate risk and green growth to create coalitions of support or public demand to reduce climate impacts and to overcome behavioral and political barriers to decarbonization, as well as to generate new ideas for and ownership of solutions.
Moreover, communities bring unique perspectives, skills, and a wealth of knowledge to the challenge of strengthening resilience and addressing climate change. They should be engaged as partners in resilience-building rather than being regarded merely as beneficiaries. Research and experience have shown that community leaders can set priorities, influence ownership, and design and implement investment programs that are responsive to their community’s own needs. A recent??recognizes the value of diverse forms of knowledge such as scientific, Indigenous and local knowledge in building climate resilience. Innovations in the architecture of climate finance can connect communities and marginalized groups to the policy, technical and financial assistance that they need for locally relevant and effective development impacts.
Last Updated: Mar 24, 2025
