As long as there are historical and differentiated responsibilities for the climate crisis between (poorly labeled) “developed” and “developing” countries, actions and contributions must take this differentiation into account. However, this “right” is frequently used to justify ecologically and socially disastrous policies.
With respect to climate, the right to development is used to avoid taking decisive action to address the causes of global warming. Meanwhile, “developing” countries endure intense extractivism in the name of this “right,” sidestepping the fundamental contradiction between capitalist development and life that has led to the current climate crisis.
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