Change is the only constant factor that the planet Earth is familiar with. Human beings play a significant role in this change.
Climate change has become one of the biggest concerns that has many countries reviewing their laws to tackle it before it becomes a gigantic problem that threatens the survival of mankind. This is no longer a future fear but something gradually dawning upon the world—an effect of past years of careless emissions of greenhouse gases.
This article will review the relationship between climate change and developing countries. Even further, this article will discuss how this undeniable link can be transformed for the better.
How Developing Countries Contribute to Climate Change
There are several characteristic tags given to developing countries. Generally, developing countries are known for their high poverty level, overpopulation, recurrent epidemic and poor infrastructure.
While most developing countries contribute lesser than developed countries to the daily emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse and ozone gases to the atmosphere because they utilize lesser technologies that require the burning of fossil fuels, it is indisputable that developing countries have less awareness or consciousness of the reality and implications of the global climate changes.
Continents like Africa and Asia are more susceptible and are receiving the brunt of climate change attacks as they cannot quickly adapt or mitigate these effects.
While they might be concerned that the patterns of rainfall are drastically changing, they feel they have no control over the forces of nature.
Deforestation
One of the ways mother nature provides balance to its climatic environment is by cleaning the air with plants. Plants use up the CO2 in the air for their photosynthesis. Therefore, what is detrimental to man is beneficial and indispensable for plants.
The problem comes when these plants and trees are being chopped down at an alarming rate to provide fuel and building materials among many other finished products. As these trees are being removed, there is an automatic reduction in the absorbers of green gases. This leads to an accumulation of greenhouse gases that have no way of being expelled from the earth.
Exploration of natural resources
Climate change also depends on the degree of exploration of natural resources in the environment.
The seemingly abundant natural resources available in most developing countries are exhaustible.
Take fossil fuel for example. The process of extracting these natural resources releases a lot of greenhouse gases that take a toll on climatic patterns.
How Climate Change Affects Developing Countries
Depending on the latitudinal and geographical location of the developing country, there is a tendency for the amount of precipitation, and the amount of insolation will either increase or decrease drastically due to climate change.
Drought
For those within the tropical belt, if active measures are not taken to reduce the emission of greenhouse and ozone gases, there will be greater degrees of insolation. The temperature will become increasingly high because greenhouse gases trap the heat. The diurnal temperature range will become even more comprehensive. This could lead to more prolonged droughts and even desertification in the countries at the fringes of desert regions.
Flooding
On the opposite spectrum, there is likely to be more precipitation in some regions, which, in addition to melting polar caps, will lead to flooding and eventually submerging coastal regions. This will disrupt the delicate balance of the ecosystem.
Erratic Rainfall Pattern
The factors mentioned above directly respond to the change in rainfall patterns. It becomes more unpredictable and dangerous for the agriculture sector, which most developing countries largely depend on.
When rain falls a sparse number of times in a year, it could lead to a low yield of agricultural products, which invariably affects the country’s economy, leading to inflation. Thus, affording a primary livelihood will become a monumental task for the already poor populace.
Overall Effects of Climate Change on Developing Countries
In the long run, climate change will affect the already floundering economies of developing countries. Poverty increased health challenges, economic upheaval and a myriad of aftermaths will get more aggravated.
Developing countries and climate change thus are directly proportional in a way. The more the climate changes in a negative manner, the slower and more retarded the rate of development in these countries.
Climate change is a response based on the cumulative effects over time and in various territories. Thus, to combat it, all and sundry must play a collective part in ameliorating climate change.
We can adopt two plausible options to tackle the challenge of climate change. We can choose to either ignore the problem and wish it away, or we can collaborate and begin to work to combat the issue consciously.
Thankfully, more and more people are getting aware of this problem and playing their part to combat it. Various industrial sectors are taking conscious steps to reduce the rate and effect of climate change on mankind.
Hopefully, as more awareness is being created about the dangers of ignoring climate change, there will be positive responses from the climate and better prospects for developing countries.
References
Ned-Cramer (2017) The climate is changing. so must architecture., Architect. Available at: https://www.architectmagazine.com/design/editorial/the-climate-is-changing-so-must-architecture_o (Accessed: November 17, 2022).
Climate change and the developing world: A disproportionate impact (2021) USGLC. Available at: https://www.usglc.org/blog/climate-change-and-the-developing-world-a-disproportionate-impact/ (Accessed: November 17, 2022).
Campbell-Lendrum, D. and Corvalán, C. (2007) Climate change and developing-country cities: Implications for environmental health and equity, Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1891643/ (Accessed: November 17, 2022).