Effect of Global Warming on Third World Nations

The greenhouse effect has been around as long as mankind (Bregman, 1998). Gases such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere trap the sun=s heat and help warm Earth=s land and water. Without the greenhouse effect, most life on Earth would not exist as the average temperature would be -18 degrees C. The very fuels the Earth runs on, like coal and oil, have pumped 30 percent more carbon dioxide and other harmful gases into the air in the past 200 years, and that has resulted in global warming which can have deleterious effects for life on earth. Global warming leads to warmer ocean temperatures and causes seawater to evaporate in massive amounts. Excessive water vapor rises and sheds even more heat into the air as the vapor cools. The problem is that the Earth=s temperature is now rising faster than at any time during the last 10,000 years.

Scientists trying to explain global warming point to several factors, some natural and some due to industrialization of developed nations. Trying to separate the contributions of the two is somewhat difficult. A recent study looked at global average temperatures from 1858 to 1992 and found tha

sed more water to evaporate from the Earth=s surface. In the tropics, much of this water remains in the atmosphere because warmer air can more readily hold extra water vapor. Global warming from industrialized First World nations could shut down an ocean current that warms the northern latitudes, according to Kerr (1998). If greenhouse warming shuts down the current that sweeps heat into the northern North Atlantic Ocean, much of Eurasia could be plunged into a deep chill within a few years. A sudden cooling of the Northern Hemisphere by only a few degrees would mean farmers would have to contend with unseasonable cold, drought, and floods - weather patterns which could change from year to year. This could have repercussions on the world=s food supply. In addition, if the current sweeping heat north was shut down, the south would heat up. Not only does global warming increase evaporation from water surfaces and cause the melting of glaciers, resulting in higher sea levels, but it also delivers more fresh water to high latitudes by increasing the load of water vapor that the atmosphere can carry from lower latitudes. The North Atlantic would then receive a torrent of fresh water flowing into it from rain, snow, and swolle