Is our society becoming egalitarian?

Climate change and global poverty are further dividing societies

Question: Is our society becoming egalitarian?
Position‹2 of 2: No, our society is not becoming egalitarian
Argument‹3 of 3: Climate change and global poverty are further dividing societies

Extreme global poverty continues to increase due to the lack of resources in various parts of the world. The lack of resources, such as food and clean drinking water, is primarily linked to climate change. Without the proper resources, the chance of an egalitarian society is less likely.

The argument

An egalitarian system means that resources are distributed equally among families and individuals within the society. Unfortunately, society as a whole is far from this, with global poverty increasing due to lack of necessary resources, such as food and clean water. How can society become egalitarian when even the United States, the wealthiest country in the world, has 35 million people struggling with hunger? Due to the recent coronavirus pandemic, this number is expected to increase to an estimated 54 million by the end of 2020. Another leading cause of unequal resource distribution is climate change. This serious issue has been brought to the attention of many scientists and researchers, with many finding ways to help sustain life. However, climate change may be inevitable, meaning that many will continue to suffer from lack of resources. For example, since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, many are still left without proper resources. Many have donated to Puerto Rico’s hurricane relief fund, but families still had to wait for over a year to see any improvements. Climate change inevitably leads to more natural disasters like hurricanes and drought, leaving many populations devastated. As climate change continues, so will global poverty, leaving it nearly impossible to have a truly egalitarian society.

Premises

[P1]An egalitarian society distributes resources equally, yet global poverty is rising—even the wealthy US had 35 million people facing hunger, projected to reach 54 million by the end of 2020. [P2] Climate change drives more disasters like Hurricane Maria, whose victims in Puerto Rico waited over a year for relief, deepening unequal access to food and clean water. [C] Therefore, because climate change and global poverty keep dividing societies, our society is not becoming egalitarian.

Counter-arguments

More attention has been brought to the seriousness of climate change, as scientists and researchers find ways to bring sustainable resources to poorer areas. If we can somehow decrease the effects of climate change by making these possible changes, we will see less global poverty by giving poorer populations the necessary resources. An egalitarian society is hard to imagine, but it is possible if everyone does their part. By bringing attention to world hunger, educating ourselves on the matter, and donating in any way we can, our society can help shape the world into a place that is equal for everyone.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Present inequality shows that society is not egalitarian, while the position concerns a direction of travel — whether it is becoming so — which a snapshot cannot settle. The hunger figures are a national count for a single period with no comparison over time, and a claim about a trend requires exactly that. [Rejecting P2] A slow relief effort after one hurricane illustrates unequal exposure to disaster rather than establishing a trend, and the chain from climate change to more disasters to less equality is asserted at each link. The premise also has it both ways, calling climate change possibly inevitable while treating it as the reason equality is receding.