The Effects of Global Warming in Developing Countries
The Effects of Global Warming in Developing Countries
By Viola Woolcott
The greatest challenge humanity is facing is global warming. Global warming is real. Wealthy countries like the UK are to blame and it is the countries living in poverty that will suffer the impact. Due to the direct result of global warming over 160,000 people die every year in poorer countries and in the future hundreds of millions face starvation, floods, drought, illnesses, disease and of course death.
Due to our excessive carbon emissions, the Greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere are constantly rising regardless of the many recent pledges, speeches, targets and empty promises. For example, Gordon Brown failed to tackle the global warming crisis which turned out to be a disaster in waiting for the worlds poor, as suggested by the global justice campaigners. This isn’t just an environmental problem, but a world development and justice problem.
The World Development Movement “Climate Change Campaign” is asking the government to take action and show humankind that this can be done. The economy must be changed to lower emissions to maintain ecological balance, which in turn will have a positive impact on developing countries.
Normally global warming is seen as an environmental problem where the world’s poorest countries will be most likely affected. For millions of people the endless path out of poverty, the last bit of hope will be destroyed.
The temperature changes that are already unavoidable, aren’t just another problem that can be ‘helped’ with. To make poverty history, wealthy countries must take extreme action to reduce their emissions, but to meet the requirements to change more money is needed.
Effects of global warming in developing countries:
=> The crop profits in sub-Saharan Africa are predicted to fall by 20 per cent due to the rainfall becoming more inconsistent, which in turn will increase the frequency as well as the duration of droughts. Hundreds of millions will be left without sufficient food supply.
=> Each year the sea levels rise. If global temperatures rise 4°C, it could result in 300 million more people suffering.
=> Range and routine diseases will go up drastically because of warmer as well as wetter weather is increasing. As a result 185 million sub-Saharan African people could die.
=> Even though the poor are the least responsible, their death rate has been estimated by the WHO (World Health Organisation) to over 160,000 every year due to global warming.
In 2.5 days, the average UK resident releases the same amount of CO2 (carbon dioxide) as a Malaysian in a whole year.
80% of the manmade increase of CO2 into the atmosphere is due to wealthy countries, they produce 50% of the whole world’s C02 every year, even though they only have 15% of the world’s population.
We should make our government take action by taking action ourselves.
Filed under: Environment | Green Issues on December 1st, 2007
I run a foundation and we teach everyone about global warming. Some people say it is not really happening. We believe it is indeed but is overestimated. whatever the case it is real to some extent, and is enormously due to cutting down of trees. we try to teach people to spread word that we must stop cutting down trees and never underestimate the relevance and importance of trees to the earth ecosystem.