The Temperamental Tropics (by Anita Li)

Every winter, those native to temperate climates seek refuge from icy winds and sub-zero temperatures by travelling to sanctuaries of heat. In fact, some, like Canadians, are notorious for taking annual migratory trips down south. That is why most people would not associate the tropics with dilapidated shacks, meagre provisions, and rampant diseases. But such are the dire conditions that constantly plague the lives of Third World inhabitants as a direct result of living in the very surroundings that people from affluent nations consider to be vacation destinations. Such disparity between rich and poor is not limited to the aforementioned. The increasing economic divergence between countries of developed and developing worlds has persisted throughout the latter half of the twentieth century and well into the twenty-first. According to Global Connections: Canadian and World Issues, "by the end of the 1990s, the 13 richest countries had per capita GDPs of more than US $20 000, while the 26 poorest had per capita GDPs of less than US $350 per year."

Economic development is essential in eliminating the evils of poverty as well as reducing the gap between First and Third World nations. Tropical temperatures characteristic of developing countries, however, are disadvantageous for fostering a country's economy because equatorial climates reduce human work efficiency, tend to impede the earth's productivity, and provide an auspicious environment for tropical diseases.

The word "vacation", especially when used with tropical connotations, is embedded within the psyche of the developed world. People from industrialized nations travel miles in order to escape the stressful settings of their workplaces. The goal of relaxation is easily achievable in hot and humid climates. This is also decidedly unfortunate for residents because tropical surroundings reduce a person's capacity to work efficiently. In countries that are largely agricultural, strength and endurance are essential in executing even the most menial of tasks. Evidently, lethargy would prove harmful when thousands of crops must be sown by day's end. Nevertheless, laziness is not an inherent vice of humans, but rather the result of environmental factors. Hot air relaxes and lengthens the extremities of the body's surface fibres as well as deters the return of blood from the extremities of the heart. This, in turn, decreases one's energy and physical power. When an individual is exposed to a humid climate, his natural biological reaction is that of dehydration and subsequently, lassitude. As water comprises sixty percent of a person's body weight, intake must be replenished continually. On an average day, the human body loses approximately 2.5 litres of water. In a hot environment akin to the tropics, however, twice this amount is expelled and therefore renders one more susceptible to the effects of dehydration such as that of fatigue and infirmity. The slow, inefficient pace at which a weak and tired person works inevitably leads to the generation of less amounts of product and consequently, less capital. In contrast, developed countries with temperate climates have the benefit of colder temperatures. This results in the reverse effect of increased work efficiency thus placing First World nations at an economic advantage over Third World nations.

Anthropomorphic factors are not exclusively liable for disparity between rich and poor countries. Ecological concerns stemming from tropical temperatures are also responsible, as land's productivity tends to be impeded when subjected to such an environment. Two primary agricultural resources, climate and soil, are limited by the tropics. Tropical climates, depending on region, are dominated by excess or deficiency and lack the necessary equilibrium of rainfall and heat. "Constant heat, rainfall, and humidity" are attributes of the wet equatorial climate. Conversely, the dry tropical climate is characterized by a desert-like atmosphere with "hot, arid climates…where rain-fed agriculture is practically impossible." Neither environment, however, proves beneficial to crop growth. Fertility in the former is reduced because "vital soluble nutrients will be leached out of the soil." If, like the latter, "there is a shortage of moisture, the amount of plant growth, and hence humus (which provides nutrients for plants and increases the soil's ability to retain water)" will again cause the soil to be relatively infertile. Although rice is a staple food throughout the world, it thrives more so in temperate and subtropical zones than in the tropical zones of developing nations. Rice is but one example among many crops that helps maintain the economic gap between rich and poor countries. The ready production of numerous crops in temperate zones places developed nations with such climates at the forefront of economic gain.

Unfortunately for the tropical economy, humid climates are ideal breeding grounds for debilitating diseases and pests that weaken immune systems and destroy harvests, respectively. One of the most common and infectious tropical diseases is malaria—the symptoms of which are fever-like. If attacks occur during the agricultural season when the farm has to be weeded, soil cultivated, or crop harvested, it can greatly impact manual output and productivity. Furthermore, malaria has the potential to alter a population's demographics, as children are less immune to diseases than adults. Other maladies of similar cause and consequence include yellow fever and dengue fever. These diseases are more easily controlled under temperate conditions, as mosquitoes, the vessels that transmit them, flourish in hot temperatures. Not only the worker, but also the work is vulnerable to biological hazards. Crops are susceptible to a wide variety of pests, including weeds, some insects, and in particular, locusts. "In enormous swarms, locusts may have a combined weight of around 40 000 metric tons, and such a mass of insects can eat as much food in one day as can 10 000 people." In view of the immense destruction locusts can inflict, it is extremely disadvantageous for a country to have a climate that provides an auspicious environment for said agricultural enemies. "Locusts can fly only when their thoracic muscle temperature is 25ºC, so the geographic limits of the swarms correlate with climate". Incidentally, the tropics' mean annual temperatures range from 20ºC to 30ºC. Developed nations are fortunate to maintain yearly temperatures lower than that of their developing counterparts. Cooler climates prevent the evils of tropical diseases and pests from readily inflicting damage and eradicating profits.

British philosopher Alfred North Whitehead once said, "the human being is inseparable from its environment." In the case of the tropics, nothing could be closer to the truth, as tropical climates negatively impact upon the economic development and therefore, people of Third World nations. A reduction in human work efficiency, barrier to agricultural productivity, and promotion of tropical pests and diseases all result in a lesser means of sustaining adequate crop production and hence, steady income. Conversely, the economic growth of First World nations is increasing at an exponential rate. Said growth is further promoted by their ideally temperate climatic conditions. As developed countries continue their climb up the economic pyramid and developing countries continue their freefall down, the gap between rich and poor countries will become increasingly apparent. Although it is a physical impossibility for the tropics to be temperate in climate, they can most definitely be temperamental.

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