Read the passage carefully and answer the following questions. Between 1900 and now, developed countries have benefitted from industrial development, which also led to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Developing countries were **relatively** late in starting out on economic development. They may be contributing to emissions now, but that is a weak reason to ask them to stop economic development. A farmer in rural Africa can claim that his country has not added to emissions historically, but because of the U.S. or Russia’s industrialisation, his agriculture yields are declining. Or an urban worker in South America has to work, without choice, in unforgiving heat wave conditions caused by the developed world’s emissions of the past. Therefore, options like financing the developing or underdeveloped countries by the developed world have often been discussed. A paper published by Springer Link earlier this year shows that emissions attributable to the U.S. over 1990-2014 caused losses that are concentrated around 1–2% of per capita GDP across nations in South America, Africa, and South and Southeast Asia, where temperature changes have likely impacted labour productivity and agricultural yields. But emissions may have also helped a few countries, such as those in Northern Europe and Canada. Moody’s Analytics estimates that by the middle of the century, Canada would see a rise in GDP of 0.3% (about \$9 billion a year) as warmer climates **spur** agriculture and labour productivity. The Canadian Climate Institute cautioned that such a claim was not wholly true and that other factors must be considered. For example, climate change-spurred floods could cost Canada $17 billion annually by 2050. In this war of words, the only ______________ is the fast-approaching calamity. The UN Environment Programme’s annual emissions gap report for 2022 released late last month said the “international community is falling far short of the Paris goals, with no credible pathway to 1.5°C in place. Only an urgent system-wide transformation can avoid climate disaster.... The world must cut emissions by 45% to avoid global catastrophe.” Why is there a need for developed countries to reduce their emissions?

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**Solution:**

1. The passage highlights that climate change impacts are global, affecting all countries regardless of their contribution to emissions. This supports point (a).

2. It also mentions that economic development in many countries is adversely affected by climate change, especially in developing nations, which aligns with point (b).

3. While the passage notes that underdeveloped countries suffer due to tropical climates, it does not emphasize this as a primary reason for emission cuts by developed countries.

4. Therefore, the best answer includes both points (a) and (b), making option (d) correct.

**Answer:** Both (a) and (b)

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