Harjeet Singh: “Those Most Affected by the Climate Crisis Are the Least Responsible for Causing It”

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Waseem Ahmad Siddiqui: A 2019 report by Scott Kulp and Benjamin Strauss warns that 300 million people face severe risks of climate-driven coastal flooding by 2050, putting them at risk of displacement due to rising sea levels. This figure is three times higher than previous estimates.

According to the study published in Nature Communications, the vast majority of the most vulnerable populations are concentrated in Asia, with China, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand facing the gravest threats.

The study warns that global sea levels could rise by between two and seven feet, or possibly more, with some coastal cities potentially disappearing from the map.

Today, there are five times as many extreme weather events—including devastating storms, floods, droughts, water scarcity, and heatwaves—as there were 50 years ago. These events disproportionately affect those living in the most vulnerable areas, particularly in the Global South.

To discuss the implications of this report, we are joined by Harjeet Singh, a climate activist and strategic adviser to the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative. He is also the founding director of the Satat Sampada Climate Foundation and a global coordinator of the Fill the Fund campaign on loss and damage finance.

Harjeet, thank you for joining us.

Could you first respond to the findings of this report, particularly in light of the devastating floods in Nepal and Tibet on August 26, 2026, which reportedly displaced nearly 100,000 people, including women and children? How do these disasters relate to the study's findings that the vast majority of populations vulnerable to sea-level rise are concentrated in Asia?

Harjeet Singh: So, Waseem, thank you very much for having me and for taking up this very important topic.

Unfortunately, we knew that climate impacts and emergencies were going to intensify. This is not news to us. But as we see these impacts increasing, the irony is that they are affecting those who have been least responsible for causing the crisis.

And I'm talking about vulnerable communities in the developing world, in countries like Nepal, Pakistan, Malawi, Honduras, and the rest of the developing world. This is a reality they face every day.

And the fact is that the Paris Agreement has not delivered enough mitigation, which means phasing out fossil fuels and increasing the use of renewable energy. At the same time, we have not provided enough support to help countries prepare for these disasters.

All these studies indicate that sea levels are rising and that we will see more and more floods, droughts, and glacier melt, impacts that we have been witnessing for more than two decades now.

But are we prepared to deal with them? No.

This means that not enough support has been provided for adaptation.

And the most unfortunate part is that when communities are affected, we are not even able to help them recover from these impacts and rebuild their lives.

So we are now fighting three battles.

First, to phase out fossil fuels and have more renewable energy powering the world.

Second, to prepare people for these impacts, as these studies are now showing us just how grave they are.

And third, when people are affected, we need to help them rebuild their lives.

And we are failing on all three counts. That's the most unfortunate part.

W.A.S.: And Harjeet, can you also talk about what kind of support, if any, these climate migrants receive from the authorities in Nepal or Tibet to help them relocate or resettle?

And could you also discuss the inequality in the context of the climate crisis, particularly the fact that countries that have historically contributed the least to greenhouse gas emissions are now among the most vulnerable to its impacts?

H.S.: As you know, I live in India, and Nepal is very close to us. In fact, I was there last week and had a chance to meet the Honourable Environment Minister. I've also been talking to civil society representatives about how severely these communities have been affected and how insufficient the support they are receiving is.

To give you an example, estimates suggest that helping people rebuild their lives and reconstruct what was lost to this Himalayan tsunami will cost close to $5 billion, which is 10% of Nepal's GDP. And the amount that has been set aside, not even delivered, by the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage is less than half a percent of what is needed.

This is just to put things into context.

So Nepal is not getting enough support, and the same is true for all developing countries. Humanitarian appeals are going unheard.

And that's why we have this campaign called Fill the Fund. We fought for the Loss and Damage Fund for three decades. We finally got it agreed upon in 2022, four years ago, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. But not even a single penny has been delivered to communities and countries.

And the amount of money available is $822 million, not even a billion dollars, when estimates suggest that developing countries alone are already facing $400 billion in damages annually.

And when we talk about displaced communities, there are two things we need to look at: their right to stay and their right to move.

When we say "displaced," that means it didn't happen by choice. We keep confusing displacement with migration, right? And some people say migration is adaptation. No, it's not. Climate migration is not adaptation. It is very close to displacement, which happens against the choice and will of those communities.

When their homes or livelihoods are lost and they have no coping mechanisms left, they either migrate on their own or, when their homes are destroyed and the place becomes uninhabitable, they are displaced.

So we need to look at both these groups of communities in a similar way in terms of how we support them.

First, we must respect their right to stay if the place can still be made livable and if we are able to provide support so that they can return. Because that's where their people are, their families are, their traditions are, and their cultures are, right? Why would they want to move?

And then, if that place is no longer livable or no longer exists because of sea-level rise...

W.A.S.: Yeah.

H.J.:  Then we need to make sure that they receive the support necessary to start a new life, including livelihood support, while also being able to continue practicing their culture and having access to their religious and burial sites.

Because we cannot look only at the economic impacts and say, "Oh, we provide them with some livelihood support, and everything is fine." No, it's not.

As human beings, we also want to live with our families, maintain our traditions and kinship ties, and remain connected to those mountains and trees.

So it's important to approach this far more comprehensively, especially when we talk about displaced communities.

W.A.S.: Exactly, exactly. And on this point, I also want to ask: Do you see a connection between the pressures of climate change, the massive exodus of climate refugees, and the rise of right-wing and authoritarian governments erecting walls?

For example, in Hungary, or in the United States, where the president has threatened to shut down the southern border.

Do you see a connection between the rise of authoritarian governments and the growing pressure of refugees trying to leave areas devastated by climate-related disasters?

H.S.: You know, it is so painful and unfortunate that these issues have been politicized to such an excessive degree.

W.A.S.: Yeah.

H.S.: When you look at people who are displaced, the majority stay either in their own country or in a neighboring country. A very, very small proportion would travel across borders and oceans to reach developed countries.

And they pick up those few examples and make it seem as though the entire exodus from developing countries is heading towards the developed world.

First of all, factually, that's not correct. They are trying to sensationalize the issue simply to further their political interests and tell their own citizens that they are in danger so that they can garner more votes.

That's what we have seen in the US. That's what we have seen in Canada and Europe. But that's not the reality.

And then they spend billions of dollars erecting walls, with that money going to border security establishments, whereas what we should be doing is helping communities stay where they are.

And that's why I said right at the beginning that it's about respecting people's right to stay.

And I can tell you, I've been working with communities for a very long time. Leaving their homes is not their first choice. It's not even their third choice.

When you talk to them, you realize that they want to stay with their own communities and maintain their own cultures. But when their coping mechanisms are exhausted, they are forced to migrate or are displaced.

So we should be spending money on adaptation, building resilience, and making sure that communities are able to deal with these impacts so that they are not forced to migrate.

It's not in anybody's interest.

W.A.S.: Indeed, indeed. I mean, it's interesting because tomorrow I'm going to have an interview with someone from America, Hossein Ayazi, who has been writing about the very phrase you just mentioned: the "right to stay." And it really resonates with me.

So, my last question, Harjeet, concerns the place you come from: New Delhi, India.

What is the scope of the recent student protests and the Cockroach Janata Party movement in relation to climate change?

The student protests began in the Jantar Mantar area of Delhi, calling for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. So far, the protests have continued, focusing on voter registration and the integrity of the electoral process. They are now demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Is there an adequate plan in place to raise awareness about the recent devastating floods across the region, including in parts of India such as Assam?

H.S.: So, Waseem, the issues you've raised may seem disconnected to many people looking at them from the outside, but they're all connected.

You know, when we talk about farmers' protests in India, and I'm not just talking about the recent past, but the last several years, farmers have been saying that agriculture is becoming increasingly unviable. The cost of production is going up, yields are going down, and the underlying issue is also climate change.

When young people see that they cannot find jobs and that the government is unable to provide them with basic services, they take to the streets.

And when you see right-wing governments, like the one we have in India and elsewhere, consolidating power and weakening institutions, these are all symptoms of power becoming concentrated in just a few hands.

Those billionaires, and now even trillionaires, are the ones calling the shots.

And when we look at climate change, it has been caused by fewer than 100 companies worldwide, a handful of developed countries, and the fossil fuel industry.

So the whole world is suffering because of a few. And that's exactly what's happening when we talk about the concentration of wealth.

W.A.S.: Yeah.

H.S.: When we talk about concentration of power.

W.A.S.: Yeah.

H.S.: So young people in India, or those we have seen protesting in Brazil, Serbia, or Hungary, are all protesting against the inequality that has emerged from this concentration of power and wealth. That's what they are protesting against, and that's why all these issues are connected.

The reason we are not able to solve the climate crisis is precisely because of this. And that's why we need to talk about the inequality that exists today and challenge the dominant narrative that these governments are working in the interests of their citizens. No, they are not. And that's why this narrative needs to be challenged.

And we definitely need to protect our democratic institutions.

So when the Cockroach Janata Party and the opposition demand the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner, we need to understand that he is not a member of the ruling party. He holds a separate constitutional position.

Whether he is serving the interests of the ruling party is a different matter. It's an open secret. But he is not from the party, even though he is behaving as if he were part of it. And that needs to be challenged.

We cannot allow the weakening of democratic institutions because the right to vote is the most fundamental right in a democracy. If I don't have the right to vote, how do I decide which government is going to serve me and my interests?

That's why what's happening in India is so important and must continue until we reclaim all our democratic institutions.

And it's not just about the Election Commission. We have seen many democratic institutions, including the media and public broadcasting, being compromised.

That's why this is a much bigger struggle. It's going to take a long time, but it's absolutely fundamental to re-establish the ethos and principles of our democracy.

And we should learn from what has happened in Brazil, Serbia, and Hungary so that we can show the world that, while right-wing governments are cracking down on citizens, we must take to the streets, challenge them, and reclaim our power and democracy.

W.A.S.: Great. Harjeet Singh, climate activist and strategic adviser to the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, thank you so much for taking the time to join us today.

Thank you.

H.S.: Thank you for having me.

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<sub>Who is Harjeet Singh? 

Harjeet Singh is an Indian climate activist, environmental policy expert, and strategic adviser to the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative. He previously served as Head of Global Political Strategy at Climate Action Network International (CAN International) and led ActionAid International’s global climate justice work. His work focuses on climate justice, a just transition away from fossil fuels, climate finance, loss and damage mechanisms, and the rights of countries most affected by the climate crisis. He is also the founding director of the Satat Sampada Climate Foundation.</sub>