Will Global Warming Increase If We Eradicate Malaria?

John Fleck posted this item by Roger Pielke, Jr., and labeled it a "provocative post". Quite an understatement. Pielke posits that eradicating malaria may lead to increased GHG emissions from African nations, where over 3 million people die from the disease each year, and one billion contract it. Sick people are a drag on the economy. It's difficult for them to be productive.

So let's treat people, rid the continent of malaria, and help people escape from poverty. What happens as people start working? The economy grows, and guess what? More GHGs!

Sounds like a recipe for more global warming.

Read Pielke's article. He's not advocating (nor am I) that we refrain from eradicating malaria, but it's a provocative (Draconian?) premise.

As John says:

This is not, of course, to argue against treating malaria. It’s merely another illustration of the tangled relationship between disease, poverty, economics and climate change on a global scale. It’s a really hard problem.

Recall that on 25 April we observed World Malaria Day.

"Never underestimate how poorly people can treat one another." -- Unknown