Third World and Climate Change - Research Paper Example

Third World and Climate Change This essay is designed to define what the third world is and give a definition of climate change. Also, it will discuss how the climate has had an impact on the third world economically, ecologically (environment) and socially, and how the third world is engaging. Finally, the essay will give a conclusion to these questions. The third world is made up of countries that are termed or referred to as poor or underdeveloped due to a lack of proper infrastructure, technology and machinery to carry out their work. Climate change is any process that brings about changes to the climate system. The components of climate change could range from volcanic eruptions to a cyclical change in solar activity. According to The Guardian, the term climate change “is most often used as shorthand for anthropogenic climate change—in other words, climate change caused by humans. The principal way in which humans are understood to be affecting the climate is through the release of heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the air” (‘What is Climate Change’, 2010). As the environment is mostly affected by climate change, agriculture is facing an unknown future due to increased rivalry for land, water and labour from non-agricultural sectors and also increasing climatic unpredictability. The latter is connected with global warming and will result in significant seasonal/annual unpredictability in food production. All agricultural products are susceptible to droughts, floods, tropical cyclones, heavy precipitation events and heat waves. These are known to have an impact on agricultural products and farmers’ livelihoods. Kumar et al. (2011) assert: “It has been projected by the recent report of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and a few other global studies that unless we adapt, there is a probability of 10–40% loss in crop production in India by 2080–2100 due to global warming, despite beneficial aspects of increased CO2”. Agriculture and grazing currently occupy 40 percent of the earth’s land surface. Mandelsohn and Dinar (2009: 544) make the argument that “agriculture is responsible for six percent of the world’s GDP”. In many developing countries, agriculture is the most important sector of the economy and is the prime source of livelihood for about 70 percent of rural residents. Climate change has an effect on famers all over the world because it affects both crops and farm animals in different ways, either directly or indirectly. On the other hand, there are adequate facts to expect that climate change will affect agricultural productivity. Mandelsohn and Dinar (2009: 546) further assert: “Both controlled laboratory experiments and field experience reveals that each crop or animal has an optimal range of climate in which that crop or animal yields the highest growth and production. Sub-optimal climate conditions lead to lower growth rates and production levels”. Direct and indirect factors affect the capability of crops and livestock to grow and produce in a given climate; factors such as soil and water may act together with climate and a change of the connection of climate and production. The environment has turned out to be the main victim of climate change; the ocean and coastal areas are in the major affected areas. The environmental impact caused by climate change, particularly in coastal areas, is of big concern to the fishing industry. Temperatures are also likely to further raise the sea level by expanding the ocean. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that the “global average sea level will rise between 0.6 and 2 feet (0.18 to 0.59 meters) in the next century” (IPCC, 2007). Salinity of surface water and ground water through salty water intrusion when the sea level rises will increase the sea level; hence, pushing salty water upstream. Furthermore, the existing water intakes might draw on salty water during the dry season. Salinity increases in estuaries can also damage marine plants and animals that do not put up with high salinity. Moreover, the harmful impacts of climate change also will have an effect on cold and cool water species in low latitudes, where destruction is likely to increase and biodiversity decline. Without a doubt, these events will have a depressing impact on the quantity and quality of marine fish. In addition, climate change will bring harm to the coral reefs.  There are many ways that climate change can cause harm to the coral reefs; ocean warming is one way that the climate causes harm to coral reefs by directly reducing coral wrap through coral bleaching. Marine warming can kill corals by magnifying the effects of contagious diseases. Ocean currents will also change due to climate change. The third world is being impacted the most by climate change, yet it only accounts for 25 percent of present emissions. The Kyoto Protocol, which was negotiated in 1997, set an objective to decrease greenhouse gases (GHG) by five percent on average, but it did not set any control objectives for unindustrialized countries. According to John Leicester (2007), “campaigners said emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases must be reined in. Friends of the Earth said industrialized countries ‘must lead the way’ and help less-developed countries develop sustainable, low-carbon economies. However, because of global expansion, third world emissions are rising so fast that they will equal or surpass the volume of emissions from the developed world. This will add to the existing problem that the third world is already facing. In Malaysia, the productivity of the fisheries sector has been influenced by climate change. The potential alterations in temperature and rainfall are expected to have considerable impact on the extent and value of the sea. It is not known just how this prevalent warming would affect the flow and seafood chain over the long run. “This can be the potential threat if some parts of the marine food chain may not adapt. Some species will migrate to other parts of the sea to avoid the warm temperature caused by climate change. Many commercially valuable marine food sources may totally disappear from our water and could affect the source of income for fishermen” (IPCC, 2007). Hence, this will hinder the development of fishermen and thus have a negative impact on their social lives. Without a doubt, the indirect effects of climate change would lead to a growth of the region under the influence of malaria-infested mosquitoes. “This will lead to an increased global population that is exposed to malaria (from 45 percent to 60 percent in the next half century)” (IPCC, 2007).  CONCLUSION  Based on this essay, it can be argued that climate change does have a harmful impact on the environment. It is likely to deter future efforts to trim down malnutrition even after trade and industry growth is taken into account. It is essential to boost food access and the progression of socioeconomic circumstances as well as to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. In general, climate change is an accumulative problem; the release of the greenhouse gases by small producers are not a challenge as such, but collective emissions can reach a dangerous threshold. Coastal and sea areas, as well as the ocean temperature, are in the midst of the environment components that are crucially affected. On the other hand, it is essential to find out if climate change will affect areas other than the environment; it could transport threats to the neighbourhood in which fishermen live. Based on this essay, it can be concluded that climate change will change the permanence of farmers’ yields and fishermen’s quality of life where economic, ecological and social aspects are affected. References International Panel on Climate Change. 2007. Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. 2007.Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Parry, Martin L., Canziani, Osvaldo F., Palutikof, Jean P., van der Linden, Paul J., and Hanson, Clair E. (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 1000 pp.  Kumar, S., Aggarual, P., Rani, S., Jain, S., Saxena, R. & Chauhan, N. (2011). ENVIRONMENTAL Impacts Analysis; CROP Management; IRRIGATION; WESTERN Chats (India); INDIA Water Supply and Irrigation System. Impact of Climate Change on Crop Productivity in Western Ghats and North-eastern Regions of India. 101 (3), 332-341. Leicester, J. (2007) ‘Climate report spurs global calls for speedy change’, The Star, 2 February. Mandelsohn, R. & Dinar, A. (2011). Handbook on Climate Change and Agriculture. London: Edward Edger Publishing Limited. 544-560. ‘What is Climate Change’, The Guardian (21 December 2010). Read More