Often the term "North" refers to the countries located in the northern hemisphere of the globe. Scholars who are concerned with worldwide problems such as global climate change, sometimes tend to think of the planet as consisting of two halves, the North and the South. The North, or northern hemisphere, is a region where only about one-fifth of the Earth's population lives, but where four-fifths of its goods and services are consumed. Environmental issues of interest to the North are those related to high technology, high consumption, and high energy use. These are areas are of relatively less concern to those who live in the South. Although the North/South dichotomy may be simplistic, it highlights differences in the way peoples of various nation view global environmental problems.