As we all know, global warming is having detrimental effects on the planet. Sea levels have risen and continue to rise, there has been more desertification, loss of species, and greater unusual weather patterns. Scientists have predicted that with the rate that we are burning fossil fuels at, we can continue to expect: loss of more sea ice, accelerated sea level rise, and longer, more intense heat waves. Interestingly, countries who are the least responsible experience the most detrimental effects.
Kiribati in the Pacific in 2016 released 52.82 kiloton of CO2, in comparison to America’s whopping 5,011,686.60 kilotons. Climate change is set to and is already beginning to have devastating effects on the island. Rise in sea levels, which is explicitly linked to climate change, threatens to render Kiribati uninhabitable well before it is fully submerged, putting 116,398 people at risk of being displaced or worse. Most of its land is only a few feet above sea level, and the region has already seen growing damage from flooding and storms. Some of the island is already completely uninhabitable, where areas have submerged beneath the pacific. Not only is the land at risk, but coral reef bleaching has been at rife, where algae have been killed completely destructing the abiotic system. Kiribati ought to be the least responsible region for global CO2 emissions, with an industry mainly consisting of agriculture, fishing and handicrafts. Most areas are in walking distance in the island, so there is not a lot of fuel usage.
Similarly, Bangladesh, is experiencing severe effects of global warming. It is home to one of the largest deltas in the world, which is extremely vulnerable to natural disasters due to its location. Bangladesh is 80% floodplain, which forces the region to be prone to flooding. Sea levels rising, and low laying land results in extreme floods and salinity intrusion; now, almost the whole coastal belt of Bengal is experiencing a salinity problem. Rural flooding is causing inhabitants to migrate to more urban areas- the mass migration of people to Dhaka from rural areas, to escape the flooded saline conditions is a clear example of this. Bangladesh is a developing country, and with a bigger urban population there are larger strains on resources, higher risk of diseases spreading through the slums, higher pollution levels, and weaker transportation links. There has been a rise in CO2 emissions in Bangladesh, but emissions in the USA are 67.3x more than Bangladesh. This appears to be extremely inequitable, as Bangladesh has to experience such punitive effects as a result.
India, though, is a difficult country to examine when comparing effects of global warming in comparison to causation. India is reported to be the 3rd largest contributor to CO2 emissions. This is mainly down to its thriving coal industry, stemming from the abundance of coal in India. Coal has a high ash content, which makes surrounding areas smoggy, and bleak. Furthermore, most of the coal is located in the eastern parts of the country and requires transportation over long distances. This is mostly performed by trains, which run on diesel. Again, materials like soot are created during the incomplete combustion of diesel fuel.
This matter can have effects on the local areas, can irritate the eyes, nose, throat and lungs, contributing to respiratory and cardiovascular illness, and even premature death. Additionally, about 70% of oil is imported and is a big drain on India’s hard currency, which makes the economy decline. This perhaps alongside some government corruption, may provide explanation as to why, despite how India is the 3rd largest CO2 emitter and perhaps should be China and the USA’s counterparts in economic development, has a population where 30% of households do not have any electricity. This proves that a combination of CO2 emissions and poor management has led to an unequal distribution of wealth within India.
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