THE Global South has always been lectured on climate change by the West. However, when it comes to its own contribution to environmental destruction, we see it far ahead of anyone else. The daily bombings in Palestine by West-backed Israel have caused immense damage to the environment. This has contaminated soil and water, burned crops and trees, and killed animals — all of which is ignored by each edition of the United Nations climate change conference simply because the damage is being done by one of ‘their own’.

Take another example; the Formula 1 (F1) races. They do contribute to climate change. The sport, massively popular in Europe and a central pillar of its global fan base, with an estimated 115 million fans in the region, contributes through emissions from transporting teams, equipment, and fans as well as the energy used during the races. A huge portion of F1 emissions comes from global travel. Apart from sport enthusiasts traveling to events, plastic waste left behind further adds to environmental damage. European races, such as those in the United Kingdom, Belgium and Spain, consistently draw massive crowds, with several events getting sold out, and exceeding 300,000 spectators.

While the brown race, which produces comparatively lower carbon emissions, is pressured to work harder at combating climate change after being lectured by those who are the real contributors, the white race often hides behind green-washing their significant contributions to climate change. For example, F1 promotes ‘sustainability initiatives’ while main-taining partnerships with oil companies, raising concerns about carbon emissions and environmental accountability.

While many politicians, actors and business leaders travel to numerous climate summits, adding to their carbon footprints, it is the developing world that is expected to bear the burden of addressing climate change.

The hypocrisy of the West and its allies is as comprehensive as it is astounding.

Angabeen Ahmad
Karachi

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2026