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Divorce is having a negative impact on climate change. The break-up of the family unit is leading to a situation in which the emission of harmful gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect is increased: The need for two houses and two cars, for example, means the consumption of household energies is at least doubled. This is the conclusion of a report by the UN entitled "State of the World Population", which explains how the growth of the global population is complicating society''s ability to cope with the consequences of climate change.

The study also points out that women, as well as contributing less to global warming, are better than men at dealing with its effects. This is especially noticeable in developing countries where women tend to carry out more agricultural tasks, and therefore take on the responsibility of fetching water and firewood for cooking - at the same time caring for their families - activities that are greatly affected by drought, floods and other natural disasters. The report maintains that helping women gain access to education and family-planning would have a positive impact on the fight against global warming; according to UN sources, evidence indicates that women who benefit from such education make a conscious decision to have less children, which in turn helps to slow down population growth.

Higher incomes worse for the environment

Furthermore, the report says that homes in countries where incomes are higher, and which therefore tend to have fewer household members, generate more greenhouse gases than homes in developing countries, where a greater number of people are generally living under the same roof. The influence of population-growth on global warming is most evident in countries with emerging and rapidly developing economies, such as India and China, particularly where they choose to emulate a lifestyle more characteristic of western society.