One of the thorniest issues at the most recent climate talks in Glasgow was the question of what rich nations, who bear the most responsibility for climate change, owe to poorer ones, who are suffering the worst of its consequences. Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, assistant professor of philosophy at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., links the debt rich countries owe poor ones to what the descendants of enslaved people are owed in the United States – and says the legacies of colonialism, slavery, and carbon emissions are inextricably connected. In his new book, Reconsidering Reparations, he calls for a “massive increase” in global climate funding, with no strings attached. “Those funds should come through unconditional cash transfers as opposed to loans or loan assistance,” Táíwò says. “The countries and corporations that have inherited the moral liabilities, stemming from the history of trans-Atlantic slavery and colonialism, should do their fair share and take on more of the burdens.”

Source: www.nexusmedianews.com