Introduction
Climate change has many negative consequences, including for the global economy. In “This is How Climate Change Could Affect the World Economy,” Natalie Marchand draws attention to the fact that over the next 30 years, global GDP will shrink by up to 18% if global temperatures continue to rise. A solution to this global problem could be achieving a zero-emissions policy. Moreover, the problem needs to be addressed immediately before the consequences for the global economy become irreversible.
The Main Idea
The author deals with a sensitive social topic – the negative impact of climate change on the world economy. The article’s main idea is that urgent action is needed to change the situation with global climate change. Countries must comply with the Paris Agreement’s concepts regarding zero-emission targets (Marchant, 2021). Otherwise, a decline in world GDP of up to 20 percent is possible (Marchant, 2021). Moreover, the figures for the decline of the global economy are only approximate; the situation can go according to an even worse scenario.
Supporting Evidence
Many researchers are concerned about the harmful effects of climate change on the economy. For example, Kahn’s et al. book Long-Term Macroeconomic Effects of Climate Change focuses on the decline in human productivity due to climate change (2021). Each country’s economy will be affected by temperature fluctuations. However, the researchers’ data is more optimistic: they expect more than 7 percent of the decline in GDP over the next 70 years (Kahn et al., 2021). It becomes clear that measures to remedy the situation must be taken immediately.
Personal Opinion
In my opinion, the author is persuasive and correct in her conclusion that it is necessary to take measures to correct the situation urgently. To support his opinion, the author uses a statistical table that reflects the average temperature increase and the corresponding percentage decline in the economy (Marchant, 2021). The negative economic consequences are demonstrated, making the conclusion relevant and evident to the readers.
Conclusion
Marchant concludes that urgent solutions are needed to stop climate change. Global warming in a few decades will lead to a sharp decline in GDP. The author is correct in her conclusions and supports the data with statistics on economic changes. Countries must unite and move together to solve the world problem. One such solution could be the implementation of the Paris Agreement to achieve zero emissions.
References
Kahn, M. E., Yang, J., Pesaran, M. H., Raissi, M., Ng, R. N. C., Mohaddes, K. (2019). Long-Term Macroeconomic Effects of Climate Change: A Cross-Country Analysis. International Monetary Fund.
Marchant, N. (2021). This is how climate change could impact the global economy. World Economic Forum.