Climate Change: Developed & Developing Nations

1. Louis Smith, Micah Lerner, Cyrus Pinto, David Hollin, Anton Paras Climate Change: Developed & Developing Nations

2. Australia

5. Generally, areas that presently receive the most rain will get more rain, and dryer areas will be more prone to drought. • Polar and sub-polar regions will get more rain, the subtropics will receive less. • The Mediterranean Basin, Mexico, the Southwestern US, South Africa, and Southern Australia are some of the places predicted to become more arid, while Northern Europe is getting more rain. • In the Summer of 2008, with reservoir levels at 7%, Cyprus (Greece) had to have water shipped in from the mainland. • When it does rain, it is more likely to be in intense bursts increasing the risk of flooding. • In the decade from 1996-2005 there were twice as many inland flood catastrophes as in the three decades from 1950-1980. • Frequency of flooding in shanty towns (often built in the drainage valleys of rivers and streams) is already increasing as a cause of climate variability. • Drought in rural areas could lead to increased water problems in urban areas. • Large groups of people migrate from drought prone rural areas to modern cities this urban migration trend puts water resources under even greater s • There will a three fold increase in urban populations in Latin America, and a five fold increase in domestic demand for water. Changing Rain Patterns

6. Puts Strain on Small Scale Farming Practices • A key sector of Latin America’s, occupying 30-40% of the regions economy. • 72.7% of South America’s agricultural dry lands suffer from moderate to extreme deterioration, and about 47% of  grazing lands have lost their fertility.  63 million hectares of land are affected by degradation in Central America.  Total annual losses from drought and desertification in Latin  America may exceed $4,800 million, and it would cost $13,000 million to restore degraded land. • In Africa, 6% of farmland is irrigated, making it much more prone to drought. • In West Africa alone there has been a 35% decline in rainfall in the last three decades in the Sahara region in Africa. Climate change is expected to ruin 600,000 sq. kilometers of cultivatable land by 2030 in Africa. The University of Pretoria estimate the 25 billion dollars may be lost from climate change.

7. Increasing Social Tensions Reports predict that climate change will emerge as a significant source of political instability. The origin of the Genocide in Darfur has been attributed in part to water shortages that caused nomadic farmers to move south in search of water and clash with farmers. Tensions over water already exist in some parts of the Middle East. UN High Commissioner for Refugees reports that, “Climate change is today one of the main drivers of forced displacement.” It also is worsening the condition of UN refugee camps in Chad for those Fleeing from the Genocide in Darfur.

8. Disease • Citizens of tropical and sub-tropical environments are already exposed to a number of parasitic and infectious diseases. Global warming is expected to aggravate the transmission  • of such diseases, extending their area of influence or intensifying outbreaks • In October 1999, in Achuapa, Nicaragua, almost 2,500 people became ill with leptospirosis (a disease spread by rats) following heavy rains and flooding.  • A month after Hurricane Mitch hit Central America in 1998, PAHO reported 2,700 cases of Malaria in Nicaragua and 1,900 cases in Honduras, 1,400 suspected cases of cholera in Guatemala, and 1,200 cases of dengue fever in Honduras and Nicaragua. • Many believe that climate change has killed between 150,000 and 5 million people per year just based on diseases alone. (ex. Malaria, Yellow Fever, Influenza etc)

9. Discussion ?s • Why do you think some states tackle poverty more than other states? Is there enough action from the government battling poverty? • Can you describe what it means to live in poverty? • Why is there so much poverty in the US if we are so powerful? • Why should we care about poverty? • What measures could be taken to boost private involvement in combating poverty in Sahel countries? • Describe the social gap that exists between the rich and poor. • What are the causes and effects of this gap on society? How will global warming affect this gap? Should this gap be closed? If so, what can be done to close it?

10. Given the current effectiveness of the World Food Program, should there be any further government initiatives to supplement or replace the current policies? • What should the United States’ policy be towards poverty in other nations? • Should the United States take more action to combat poverty in other nations? • Have we as a community combated poverty sufficiently? • How should poverty be dealt with/combated? • Should public or private institutions deal with poverty? • Should grassroots organizations deal with poverty? (can they) • Should philanthropic organizations deal with poverty? • Should poverty be dealt with on a small or large scale (macroscopic vs. microscopic)?