If the drought continues into December, it will not only complicate the task of containing and extinguishing the forest fires, but will also affect Indonesia's food production. The potential long-term impact of global climate change on human civilization could be devastating. Not only could rising sea levels inundate entire countries and affect millions of people in coastal areas, global climate change could bring about permanent changes in agricultural production that will adversely affect our ability to feed ourselves. It is these changing weather patterns and their effect on food production that many experts find most worrisome. It was a significant milestone in recognition of this problem when major insurance companies began to take global climate change and its impact very seriously because they could have billions of dollars of exposure.
Climate change is also a factor in emerging and re-emerging diseases.
Malaria, which only a few years ago appeared to be coming under control, has surged back as a leading cause of death, killing over two million people last year. While the resurgence of malaria is partly due to the emergence of treatment-resistant malarial strains, some specialists believe that global warming has extended the area affected by these deadly forms of malaria. Making Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Attractive Meeting this challenge will not be easy. Some measures to increase energy efficiency are so economically attractive that the market will foster their introduction. But even in those cases where investments in energy efficiency will pay for themselves in less than two years, governments can speed their adoption by the use of incentives.