Since 2021, international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Economic Forum have identified climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution as the three interconnected environmental crises threatening our planet’s future.
Once seen as distant and abstract issues, these crises have now arrived—harshly and unmistakably—at our front doors.
- In 2024, the global average temperature surpassed the critical 1.5°C threshold set by the Paris Agreement for the first time.
- January 2025 became the hottest January on record, exceeding pre-industrial levels by 1.7°C.
- May 2025 followed as the second hottest May ever recorded.
This isn’t just about heat anymore. Climate change is no longer a warning—it is our present. Wildfires, droughts, rising sea levels, extreme weather, and food insecurity are not projections. They are real, they are frequent, and they are everywhere.
As the climate crisis worsens, so do global humanitarian and public health emergencies. Vulnerable populations suffer the most—facing disease outbreaks, malnutrition, and escalating resource conflicts.
Despite multiple international climate agreements, many developing nations are still forced to sacrifice the environment for economic survival. This leads to:
- Oil extraction,
- Deforestation,
- Industrial pollution,
- Unsustainable resource exploitation.
These aren’t just moral or lifestyle choices. They're systemic necessities born out of poverty, weak infrastructure, and unfair global systems.
The Real Question Isn't “Do You Use Plastic Bags?”
It’s: Who actually has the privilege to care about these things?
The truth is: Climate disasters are never equally distributed.
Those hit the hardest are often those with:
- unstable, unsanitary housing,
- no clean water or steady electricity,
- constant threats from disease, conflict, or malnutrition,
- and little access to information, healthcare, education, or work.
When you don’t know where your next meal is coming from, how do you talk about carbon footprints, biodiversity, or eco-regulations?
The environmental impact from marginalized communities is often misunderstood and demonized—branded as ignorant, destructive, or backward.
Society too often assumes:
“They just don’t care.” “They’re lazy, unlawful, uneducated.” “They don’t love the Earth like we do.”
But the real picture is far more complex.
Behind the Scenes: Why the Structure Fails
- Long-term poverty and weak infrastructure make it nearly impossible for these regions to shift toward sustainable industries.
- High-pollution jobs offer faster, more accessible income—even if it’s not much.
- Corruption, weak governance, and poor regulation allow for illegal exploitation, deforestation, and environmental abuse to continue unchecked.
- Educational gaps mean people lack access to the knowledge or tools to make more sustainable choices—not because they don’t care, but because survival leaves no room for long-term thinking.
Instead of blaming developing nations for being “dirty” or “behind,” the better question is:
How do we help them stand up, with dignity and choice?
How do we create environments where long-term solutions are possible, not just idealistic?
Because when even basic survival is out of reach, expecting logical and sustainable choices is unrealistic.
Why Global Cooperation Matters
This is why organizations like the TaiwanICDF have worked for years in global development and aid.
The TaiwanICDF Overseas Missions provide:
- Technical training and education to improve local skills and job opportunities.
- Support for small businesses through funding and resources, helping stimulate the local economy.
- Modernizing agriculture, increasing efficiency and farmer income to reduce rural poverty.
- Environmental infrastructure, like wastewater treatment and waste management, to promote long-term sustainability.
- And importantly, advancing women’s rights, acknowledging that while a nation sustains the family, it is often the women who sustain the nation.
Change doesn’t only come from the top. It grows from empowered individuals, families, and communities.
And You? You Are Also Part of the Solution.
Every one of us has a role to play in confronting climate change and inequality.
From your daily life, you can:
- Choose seasonal, local food ingredients.
- Reduce food waste and resource overuse.
- Use public transport more often.
- Support fair trade and sustainable products.
- Share climate news and reports to raise awareness.
And if you have the means, donate regularly to reliable international organizations like:
- TaiwanICDF
- Red Cross
- Doctors Without Borders
- And others you trust (with tax-deductible options in Taiwan)
A World With Not Just Sustainability—But Love, Light, and Opportunity
The climate crisis is not just a headline.
It’s about who gets to survive, and who is sacrificed.
Instead of falling into despair, let’s ask:
How do we ensure that this race for change isn’t run by a few—but by many, together?
If you have children in your family, don’t limit your love to just their comfort today—help them understand the world they’ll inherit.
Teach them to think bigger, ask better questions, and make more conscious choices.
Thank you to everyone trying to make the world better.
If you found this reflection helpful, please share it.
Let more people understand: Environmentalism is not a slogan—it’s a shared responsibility.
Climate change and inequality are not the burden of “other countries.” They are issues of systems, resources, access, and empathy.
🌱 Don’t forget to follow this column for more thoughtful, in-depth content.
Together, let’s challenge the false labels and build a world that makes room for everyone.
