How is global warming affecting poor countries?

Global warming is mainly a result of the rich boys’ (and girls’) club enjoying their lives thoroughly and comprehensively. Even if you come from the developed world, you will surely agree to this, whether or not you like the fact.

But look at how unfair the world is.

While the effects of a warming planet are expected to be harmful the world over, these effects may pose an even greater danger for the world’s poor, according to studies and analyses.

So, essentially, some people are far more vulnerable to climate change than are others.

For instance, agriculture is one of the most important economic sectors in many poor countries. Agriculture is also one of the most sensitive to climate change given its dependence on weather conditions, both directly and through climate-dependent stressors such as pests and epidemics.

Climate change puts 1.3 billion people at risk, says a study. Most of these comprise the poorest people in the world living in tropical latitudes (while many of the world’s wealthiest people live in mid-latitude climates). We know that low-latitude regions have much less variability in day-to-day temperatures when compared with the mid-latitudes, which means the signal of climate change emerges quite quickly, and because of this the frequency of extreme hot days increases rapidly too.

With all the above reasonings, people, especially poor people in underdeveloped countries are likely to be far more severely affected due to climate change. This harm will be enhanced owing to the negative effects of climate change on the following:

• Agriculture, which adversely affects both food production and prices
• Health, especially through the accelerated spread of diseases such as Malaria, and diarrhea and under-nutrition owing to water scarcity and water quality
• Reduced labor productivity
• Natural disasters such as droughts and floods

Net result: Climate change and global warming end up causing immense damage and destruction to those people and regions who were least responsible for them!