Download Eden Bekele The Economics of Global Warming in Eritrea Global

Eden Bekele
The Economics of Global Warming in Eritrea
Global warming is a much debated and controversial topic among nations of the world. The issue of
global warming can be divided into three main subtopics: mitigation, adaption, and technology and
financing. Eritrea, among other developing countries, must consider these categories when dealing with
global warming and its affect on their economy.
Mitigation pertains to the measures Eritrea must take to prevent climate change. Eritrea may not
be able to put strong efforts towards preventing climate change because of the financial state they are
currently in. The actions Eritrea might take to stop global warming may plunge the country even further
into poverty, due to the money that would be necessary for funding to combat the effects of climate
change. In this case, the country's money would be used for newer technology rather than working to
bring the nation's people out of poverty, thus reducing their economic growth. The country would be
regressing instead of progressing. One step Eritrea can take to lessen the blow of global warming would
be to recycle. Goods such as paper, cans, and soda bottles should be recycled rather than disposed in a
regular garbage bin or littering. In order for this to happen, Eritrea would have to create an organized
system of recycling that would differentiate between trash and recyclable goods.
Eritrea must adapt to certain climate changes in the environment in order to survive. Many
Eritreans depend on agriculture as a form of work and survival. The increasing of the earth's
temperatures would alter the kinds of crops that are able to be grown, in turn affecting the income and
way of life of Eritrean farmers. The productivity of the farms would depend on the changing climate
because most crops require a specific temperature in order to flourish. If the heat in the region increases,
the severity and number of droughts may also increase. Because most of Eritrea's exports are
agricultural, their economy could be negatively affected, unless they learn to adapt. They can adapt to
the climate change by producing new crops that can be grown in the changing climate that are able to be
exported. This would keep their economy stable.
In order to adapt to the affects of global warming, newer technology and the means to finance it
are required. Currently, this poses a problem for Eritrea. The country does not have the necessary funds
to develop such advanced technology. Technology to create a more environmentally friendly nation
would be extremely costly, especially for a developing nation such as Eritrea. Developing countries
should focus on lowering their poverty rate and bettering the way of life of their people. The price of
obtaining newer technology would put the country into even deeper debt and cause them to rely more
heavily on foreign aid. More developed technology is not an option for Eritrea right now due to their
financial state, but in the future when the economy, and the country as a whole, becomes more stable
technological changes will be possible for the country. Such technological changes include utilizing
solar energy and other eco-friendly advancements.
Because Eritrea is still a developing nation, all of the ecological changes the country may desire
to make are not possible. To eventually make these changes possible, Eritrea must first meet the needs
of its people and adapt to the drastic change in climate, so it does not negatively affect their economy.
Once the nation is stable, it will be able to further explore the options of environmentally sound
technologies.