Ambiguous futures: Global warming and the Third World

Abstract

The increasing global warming of the earth has been at the foreground of scientific and political debate, leading to international agreements such as The Kyoto Protocol in 1997. While there are some promising signs that the international community is taking the reality of global warming seriously, the limited objectives for diminishing the amount of greenhouse gases are insufficient. If scientific predictions are correct, global warming will have an adverse effect on biodiversity and global health. Many countries in the Third World which have been responsible for emitting the least amount of greenhouse gases will bear the brunt of climate change. This article is a philosophic response to the possible realities of global warming and its social implications.