Global warming presents states with a triple dilemma. Initially, define global warming and explain what existing scientific evidence suggests about its future impact. Then, explain what the triple dilemma refers to and discuss one factor that contributes to the dilemma. Be sure to use at least one example in your discussion.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The ideal answer should include:
1. Define global warming.
2. State that growing and compelling evidence shows that global warming is a real problem, that it is caused by the emission of carbon dioxide and other gases, and that it will get much worse in the future.
3. Explain the triple dilemma. First, there is the dilemma of short-term (and predictable) costs to gain long-term (and less predictable) benefits. Second, specific constituencies such as oil companies and industrial workers pay the costs, whereas the benefits are distributed more generally across domestic societies and international states. Third, a collective goods dilemma exists among states: Benefits are shared globally, but costs must be extracted from each state individually.
4. Discuss one factor contributing to the dilemma. For instance, the North-South divide complicates the collective goods dilemma since greenhouse gases are produced by each state roughly in proportion to its industrial activity, but the most severe impacts of global warming are likely to be felt in the global South. In densely populated countries such as Bangladesh, hundreds of millions of people stand to lose their homes and farmland under a rising sea.
5. Offer a concise summary and effective conclusion.