Global warming has made the world's rich richer and the poor poorer

Question

Article states that global warming is making us more poor, while the rich richer.

Answer 1

This claim is partially true. Your article mentions that global warming has positively impacted wealthier, cooler countries in the Northern Hemisphere, such as Canada, Sweden, and Norway. Conversely, global warming has rendered warmer nations like India and Nigeria increasingly unlivable, as extreme heat has led to droughts and various other climate crises. Cooler, more affluent nations benefit from global warming due to the fact that the warmer weather cultivates perfect conditions for crop cultivation––neither too hot nor too cold. An article from BBC backs up this point. According to the report, researchers at Stanford University have found that the disparity between the world's poorest and richest countries is approximately 25% greater now than it would have been without the effects of global warming. Furthermore, African countries located in tropical regions have been the most severely affected, with the GDP per capita of Mauritania and Niger being over 40% lower than it would have been without the increase in temperatures. 

However, it’s important to recognize that both articles focus solely on the benefits of global warming for cooler, wealthy countries, without addressing how it impacts nations with moderate climates. While climate change adversely affects warmer, tropical countries and appears to enhance the economies of cooler nations, the effects on both wealthy and poorer nations with moderate climates remain unclear. 

Comments

I agree with your point on how the article focuses only on cooler and warmer countries and not those in the middle. While we do see a change in the economic balance of various countries depending on how their temperature is impacted, the level of impact for different countries is very different, and its important to not solely view this take from either of the extremes before applying it to our own lives.