Poor countries lack the resources to aid their flora and fauna in adapting, and many of their farmers earn too little to survive a shift to new conditions. But the best insurance for these poor countries is an increase in their wealth, which would diminish their dependence on agriculture and make it easier for them to adjust to changes in weather, including increases in precipitation and possible flooding or higher sea levels. The optimal way to deal with potential climate change is not to embark on a futile attempt to prevent it but to promote growth and prosperity so that people will have the resources to deal with the normal set of natural disasters. On the basis of the evidence, including historical records, global warming is likely to be good for most of humankind. The additional carbon, rain, and warmth should promote the plant growth necessary to sustain an expanding world population.
Global change is inevitable.
Warmer is better. Richer is healthier. Reprinted from the Wall Street Journal , October 7, 1997. Inc. All rights reserved. A Boon to Humans and Other Animals , by Thomas Gale Moore.