Climate Change

Climate change is a terrible problem, and it absolutely needs to be solved. It deserves to be a huge priority – Bill Gates

   Climate change refers to any symbolic, long-term change in the climate over a period of time. This includes melting of glaciers, rising of sea levels and a general increase in average global temperatures. The major reason behind this change is the increased level of atmospheric carbon-di-oxide emissions through respiration and volcanic eruptions, and human activities like deforestation and burning of fossil fuels. Carbon-di-oxide concentration increased since the industrial revolution by 40% as stated in the article ‘25 devastating effects of climate change’. This is due to industrial production causing pollution and mainly because of the burning of fossil fuels. Other greenhouses gases have also contributed to the destruction of the ozone layer for instance methane, nitrous-oxide and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Although climate change is a terrible problem and is causing disruptions around the world due to unexpected flooding, rising temperatures and spread of diseases, there are other major problems too which need to be given utmost priority like poverty and hunger, international terrorism  and child labor.

   Poverty and hunger are major problems faced by the world today. According to the article ‘Causes of Poverty’,

“Almost half the world, around 3 billion people live on less than $2.50 a day… One billion children people live in poverty which makes 1 in 2 children in the world… 10.6 million People died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5 and around 640 million people live without adequate shelter”.

There are only a few wealthy people who are able to afford proper health facilities and good quality education besides the basic necessities of life; food, clothing and shelter. Majority of the people struggle because for these people the access to health care and even safe drinking water remains elusive. Since more than half of the world is struck by poverty, deaths occur due to malnutrition and fatal diseases like Ebola virus which had an outbreak in Africa. As people cannot afford good healthcare facilities, even curable diseases cannot be treated. Multinationals take advantage of the cheap labor available in less developed economies to reduce their costs of production and as a result the inequality between developed and less developed economies increases causing major poverty in these countries. Since earning a living has become so difficult, it has led to a rise in crime rates and violence. Countries face instability in terms of law and order. People are forced to adopt illegal means to earn a living for instance in Pakistan streets crimes, kidnapping and even murders have increased to a great extent because people get so infuriated that they do not realize the difference between right and wrong. Although climate change is a terrible problem, increasing poverty overtakes the problems related to climate change to a great extent. The World Bank’s mission is carved in stone at the Washington headquarters ‘our dream is a world free of poverty’.