Vital inequalities mean inequalities in health status and life expectancy. Over the 200 years of capitalism, based on fossil-fuel extraction, life expectancy has soared to levels, inimaginable in former societies. Poor people today live longer than kings and noblemen in earlier societies. However, while today a child being born in Hong Kong can expect to live 84.9 years, a child being born in Nigeria can only expect to live 54.7 years. (29) Life expectancy does, however, not only differ greatly among different countries, but also within different socio-economic groups within countries. (30)
Resource inequality has a strong influence on vital inequalities, income can however not fully explain them. For example, life expectancy in Costa Rica is about 1.5 years longer than in the much richer USA (31). As Wilkinson and Pickett show, many indicators connected to vital inequality, like obesity, mental health and child mortality, are better in more equal societies.
When looking at the parts of the world most negatively affected by the unfolding climate crisis, we see that carbon (and other environmental) inequalities are social inequalities not only on the side of responsibility but also on the side of suffering vital consequences (32). Furthermore, the recent Corona pandemic has revealed many examples of vital inequalities which can be used for a more in depth discussion.
29 – Human Development Report Office, 2020, 30 – Mosquera et al., 2018, 31 – Human Development Report Office, 2020, 32 – This video depicts the unequal global responsibility for and suffering from the climate crisis: The carbon map.
