The concept of “survival of the fittest”, in simple terms, describes those who are capable of facing, adapting to, and evolving in unfavourable environments, and it has been proven true on many occasions throughout history. The same theory could be applied to human society – powerful, influential, and wealthy nations have most often been able to ensure the safety of their citizens, while less powerful nations enjoy no such assurance of survival.
A recent meeting between two world powers, China and the US, focused on taking collective measures to control worsening climate-change related issues. According to foreign media, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Climate Envoy John Kerry had discussed how the two countries can and should work collectively to address these issues, without allowing other bilateral issues to hinder these efforts.
These discussions took place in a context where developed and developing countries continue to contribute the lion’s share of factors towards climate change, and here, the US and China – as two leading countries in terms of population, pollution, and the increased use of non-eco-friendly industrial activities – contribute an astronomical amount. Even though it is practically impossible to precisely assess the magnitude of the environmentally harmful acts done by developed countries, according to some studies, developed countries and developing countries contribute approximately 53%–61% and 39%–47%, respectively, to the increase in global warming, a major element of climate change-related issues.
The nations that become victims of climate change-related issues are not always those causing them. Most of the time, low and middle-income countries lack the resources to protect against unfavourable environmental changes caused by wealthier peers. The best example is the Maldives – the Maldivian islands are under threat due to the rising sea levels, a direct result of global warming. Being an island, Sri Lanka is also in danger, and some experts have predicted that Sri Lanka is also facing a risk of losing its coastal areas.
But climate change-related issues are long-term; a timelier example of how powerful nations’ behaviour impacts less powerful nations is the ongoing scarcity of vaccines.
In the current Covid-19 pandemic context, particularly when it comes to global vaccination efforts, rivalry between wealthy and powerful countries has a higher potential to negatively affect low and middle-income countries. While world powers continue to hoard vaccines in billions as a precaution to face the limited supply of vaccines, a large number of less powerful countries are still struggling to vaccinate at least those at most risk. Moreover, due to vaccine politics between powerful countries, especially with regard to the China-made Covid-19 vaccines, there is now a state of uncertainty and tension in smaller countries like Sri Lanka. It was displayed during the past few weeks, when people travelled to various provinces, violating inter-provincial travel restrictions, just to get access to Europe or US-made vaccines, which made it difficult for the residents of the areas where such vaccines were distributed, to get what was rightfully meant for them.
How world powers’ vaccine politics affects low and middle-income countries was also underscored by Sri Jayewardenepura University’s Prof. Neelika Malavige recently. Addressing an online event, she noted that developed countries have ordered vaccines in larger quantities – around 3.7 billion doses of the Pfizer BioNTech, 1.7 billion doses of Moderna, and 1.1 billion doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines – and that these vaccines will soon expire without even being used. In a context where the world’s population is almost 8 billion, the entire world could have had some relief as far as the pandemic is concerned, had those billions of vaccines been shared.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) also recently called for developed countries to consider delaying the administering of a third dose, as vaccine scarcity is an issue that is worsening every passing day.
What Sri Lanka, or any low or middle-income country for that matter, can do to face these challenges is limited. However, that is not to say that we are out of options. With proper policies, mechanisms, and long term plans, we can reduce the impact caused by the above mentioned issues on the country. To do that, our leaders must stop revelling in the comforts they enjoy today, and instead start thinking about tomorrow’s challenges.Davids vs. Goliaths
02 Sep 2021
Davids vs. Goliaths
02 Sep 2021
The concept of “survival of the fittest”, in simple terms, describes those who are capable of facing, adapting to, and evolving in unfavourable environments, and it has been proven true on many occasions throughout history. The same theory could be applied to human society – powerful, influential, and wealthy nations have most often been able to ensure the safety of their citizens, while less powerful nations enjoy no such assurance of survival.
A recent meeting between two world powers, China and the US, focused on taking collective measures to control worsening climate-change related issues. According to foreign media, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Climate Envoy John Kerry had discussed how the two countries can and should work collectively to address these issues, without allowing other bilateral issues to hinder these efforts.
These discussions took place in a context where developed and developing countries continue to contribute the lion’s share of factors towards climate change, and here, the US and China – as two leading countries in terms of population, pollution, and the increased use of non-eco-friendly industrial activities – contribute an astronomical amount. Even though it is practically impossible to precisely assess the magnitude of the environmentally harmful acts done by developed countries, according to some studies, developed countries and developing countries contribute approximately 53%–61% and 39%–47%, respectively, to the increase in global warming, a major element of climate change-related issues.
The nations that become victims of climate change-related issues are not always those causing them. Most of the time, low and middle-income countries lack the resources to protect against unfavourable environmental changes caused by wealthier peers. The best example is the Maldives – the Maldivian islands are under threat due to the rising sea levels, a direct result of global warming. Being an island, Sri Lanka is also in danger, and some experts have predicted that Sri Lanka is also facing a risk of losing its coastal areas.
But climate change-related issues are long-term; a timelier example of how powerful nations’ behaviour impacts less powerful nations is the ongoing scarcity of vaccines.
In the current Covid-19 pandemic context, particularly when it comes to global vaccination efforts, rivalry between wealthy and powerful countries has a higher potential to negatively affect low and middle-income countries. While world powers continue to hoard vaccines in billions as a precaution to face the limited supply of vaccines, a large number of less powerful countries are still struggling to vaccinate at least those at most risk. Moreover, due to vaccine politics between powerful countries, especially with regard to the China-made Covid-19 vaccines, there is now a state of uncertainty and tension in smaller countries like Sri Lanka. It was displayed during the past few weeks, when people travelled to various provinces, violating inter-provincial travel restrictions, just to get access to Europe or US-made vaccines, which made it difficult for the residents of the areas where such vaccines were distributed, to get what was rightfully meant for them.
How world powers’ vaccine politics affects low and middle-income countries was also underscored by Sri Jayewardenepura University’s Prof. Neelika Malavige recently. Addressing an online event, she noted that developed countries have ordered vaccines in larger quantities – around 3.7 billion doses of the Pfizer BioNTech, 1.7 billion doses of Moderna, and 1.1 billion doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines – and that these vaccines will soon expire without even being used. In a context where the world’s population is almost 8 billion, the entire world could have had some relief as far as the pandemic is concerned, had those billions of vaccines been shared.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) also recently called for developed countries to consider delaying the administering of a third dose, as vaccine scarcity is an issue that is worsening every passing day.
What Sri Lanka, or any low or middle-income country for that matter, can do to face these challenges is limited. However, that is not to say that we are out of options. With proper policies, mechanisms, and long term plans, we can reduce the impact caused by the above mentioned issues on the country. To do that, our leaders must stop revelling in the comforts they enjoy today, and instead start thinking about tomorrow’s challenges.Kapruka
Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!
Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!