A Study of Carbon Colonialism and Inequality in the Global South Based on Ecocritical Theory

Abstract

In response to the accelerating impacts of global climate change and the realities of the Anthropocene, nation-states have implemented international agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement to mitigate climate change and curb environmental degradation stemming from excessive carbon emissions. Through carbon market operations, these nation-states aim to achieve carbon neutrality and uphold the integrity of the Earth’s ecological system. Nevertheless, the nations of the Global South are enduring some of the harshest effects of environmental degradation, despite their limited historical responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions. This inequality is further exacerbated within climate change response strategies, where developed nations displace the costs of emissions reduction and ecological crises onto developing countries via policy mechanisms, industrial transfers, and technological restrictions, thus maintaining inequality. Based on a literature review and case studies, this paper employs an ecocritical framework to investigate how carbon colonialism shapes the use and management of environmental resources in the Global South through political-economic structures. Besides, it further explores the underpinning power dynamics and the logic of capital accumulation. The results reveal that carbon colonialism shapes the dynamics of traditional colonialism and North-South inequalities through climate politics, carbon markets, and green technology. In addition, a political-economic approach examines global environment and guides systemic change for justice and sustainability.