- Environment
- Earth Day
Inequality is decreasing between countries—but climate change is slowing progress
Forecasts have painted a difficult picture for the future. But one new study argues that climate change has already imposed an economic penalty on many countries.
Scientists have known for decades that climate change is reshaping the physical face of the planet. But according to new research, warming has also had a measurable impact on economies, providing a boost to some countries and a penalty to others.
Inequality between countries has decreased over the past few decades. But between 1961 and 2010, the country-to-country gap would have narrowed more if not for climate change, says new research published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The difference between the richest and poorest countries in the world is some 25 percent wider than it would be in a world without global warming, the authors say.
Until now, we didn't have a number that showed “how
