Many people believe that global warming will hurt economic development, but research shows that the effects are more complex. Recent research by economists Melissa Dell, Benjamin Jones, and Benjamin Olken provides some useful insights. First, the effects of increases in temperature seem to be confined to poor countries. Rich countries do not suffer from increases in temperature. In a study of municipalities within Latin and South America, the economists found that a one-degree Celsius rise in temperature was associated with between a 1.2 and 1.9 percentage decline in municipal per capita income. Over time, as economies adapt to higher temperatures approximately half of this effect disappears. Second, some of the adverse effects from higher temperatures seem to work through international trade. A one-degree Celsius increase in temperatures reduces poor countries exports between 2.0 and 5.7 percentage points. The effect appears to be concentrated within the agricultural and light manufacturing goods sectors. The fact that poor countries are affected but not rich countries suggests that the timing of global warming may matter. If global warming can be deferred sufficiently far into the future, poorer countries will have opportunities to develop and perhaps be less subject to global warming trends. However, if global warming occurs relatively soon, then poor countries are likely to be adversely affected.