ABSTRACT
Traces of synthetic chemicals plus carbon and sulfur dioxide are intermixing throughout the global atmosphere. These emissions are mainly the result of human activities connected with industrialization and economic development. Global warming, according to theorists, begins with an increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, such as methane, chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), and nitrous oxide. The altered atmosphere then traps additional heat, which in time increases oceanic evaporation and, hence, atmospheric water vapor. Ozone depletion and acid rain are further destructive side effects of worldwide atmospheric pollution. In summation, world development has produced—and probably will continue to produce—problematic environmental side effects, the most serious of which could have an adverse impact on the earth’s climatic balance. Economists are beginning to rethink developmental strategies for the Third World countries that are compatible both with planetary health and with the betterment of living standards for the world’s poorest nations.
