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Global warming is a big problem. Unless you've been living in a mountainous cave (one that hasn't been obliterated by mountaintop removal mining, anyways), you already know this. But do you know how much it will affect us right here in the United States? Do you know how bad it could get?
Let me phrase the question this way: how much hotter will temperatures in North America be by the end of the century, in 2100?
And while you're mulling that over, remember that even the slightest increase (or decrease) in temperature can have a massive effect on a delicate ecosystem. Wetlands and coastal marine zones are just two of the kinds of habitats especially susceptible to climate change.
Have an idea yet?
According to the EPA, North America is expected to warm between 3.8 and 18 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the region. That's a serious increase in heat. And the ecosystems won't be the only things suffering—we humans will be put at greater risk to a slew of environmentally related factors thanks to our emission-spewing ways. Here are a few perils the EPA lists:
- Increased vulnerability of infrastructure (e.g. roads and utilities) from extreme events such as coastal flooding.
- Intense coastal zone development places coastal floodplains at risk to flooding from sea level rise, storm surge, and extreme precipitation events.
- Decreased yields of crops that are already near climate thresholds such as California wine grapes.
- Increased wildfire potential.
- Forest disruption resulting from warming and increased pest outbreaks.
And these are just a few—for the whole list of ills caused by climate change, check out the EPA's Climate Chant US Region page, if you dare.
I mention statistics like this not to encourage you to panic or buy property in Greenland—no, I bring it up in order to remind us all why we've got to reduce our environmental footprint and live more responsibly.
More on Global Warming in the US:
U.S. Forest Service Takes Aim at Global Warming
