Third World and Climate Change Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Third World and Climate Change - Research Paper Example The principal way in which humans are understood to be affecting the climate is through the release of heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the air† (‘What is Climate Change’, 2010). As the environment is mostly affected by climate change, agriculture is facing an unknown future due to the increased rivalry for land, water, and labor from non-agricultural sectors and also increasing climatic unpredictability. The latter is connected with global warming and will result in significant seasonal/annual unpredictability in food production. All agricultural products are susceptible to droughts, floods, tropical cyclones, heavy precipitation events, and heat waves. These are known to have an impact on agricultural products and farmers’ livelihoods. Kumar et al. (2011) assert: â€Å"It has been projected by the recent report of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and a few other global studies that unless we adopt, there is a probability of 10–40% loss in crop production in India by 2080–2100 due to global warming, despite beneficial aspects of increased CO2†. Agriculture and grazing currently occupy 40 percent of the earth’s land surface. Mendelsohn and Dinar (2009: 544) make the argument that â€Å"agriculture is responsible for six percent of the world’s GDP†. In many developing countries, agriculture is the most important sector of the economy and is the prime source of livelihood for about 70 percent of rural residents. Climate change has an effect on farmers all over the world because it affects both crops and farm animals in different ways, either directly or indirectly. On the other hand, there are adequate facts to expect that climate change will affect agricultural productivity. Mendelsohn and Dinar (2009: 546) further assert: