Global Warming: The rich get richer, the poor dry up.
Hang your clothes out to dry now so poor countries won't be too dry to produce food.
As temperatures around the world get higher, the countries closer to the equator will produce less food by the end of the century. In fact the center for global development is predicting a global loss in agriculture, but the closer to the equator the higher the loss becomes.
As I spun my child’s globe and looked at the equator the countries that hang on this arid global necklace, I noticed they are mainly developing countries already struggling. Africa, which already seems to be the disaster punching bag of the earth, with famine, drought and disease all frequent problems, will potentially loose between 17 to 20% of its agricultural production, perpetuating the vast difference in wealth from the third world to the industrial nations.
Given an increasing global population the numbers can only add up to more disparity among people, leading to more wars and terrorism.
The good news is that there may still be time to stop the worst from happening. If people, as well as countries, start being more energy conscious it’s possible to slow this process down. If we all think about our actions daily, we can have an effect.
The most powerful thing I have done for my children recently, was to make a clothes line where I could hang my laundry. Reuse is another powerful tool, anything we can use twice reduces energy production on that item by half. Plastic bags and bottles can all be reused, clothe napkins instead of paper, even given the water, soap and energy to wash them still decrease transportation, even if a comparison to production is a zero net gain.
The bad news is action must be taken soon to avoid massive global inequities and starvation, the good news is that each of us can take simple steps to do it.
