Maryam ElAzzawy’s successful entry in [X]ceptional, an opportunity for students in College of Social Sciences to present their own original research on any element of climate change.

Real life experience played a huge role in my research. Growing up in a developing country (Egypt), as well as working with governmental and non-governmental organizations for more than a year, enabled me to gain knowledge about how development is affected by certain events. Living through the pandemic, the Arab Spring, and the ongoing crisis of Climate Change, I was inspired to write a research paper about how less developed countries can overcome global crises without impeding their development.

After reading through previous literature, I came to a realization that economy, development and the environment affect each other in a dynamic manner, and one cannot be inspected in vacuum. It became apparent, based on previous studies, that climate change is not only currently affecting the less developed countries but that, also, the mitigation framework does not seem to promise a sustainable future in the vulnerable regions.

In this research, I assess the extent to which the climate change mitigation framework ensures the survival of low-income countries and I argue that given their high rates of poverty and weaker infrastructures, they will have to prioritize their development rather than, potentially, saving the globe. Finally, I propose ways, other than financial efforts, that would ensure self-eradication in times of crises and how the Climate Change Framework should be viewed in the light of the Sustainable Development Goals.

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