It is true that volcanos and asteroids and other natural calamities also cause pollution. But they are things that either happen very infrequently or are something we are powerless over. We are not powerless over global warming.
Have you actually attempted to inform yourself about the science behind global warming? Do you believe that it actually exists? Most of the people who profess not to be concerned do not seem to know enough about it to make such a conclusion, in my opinion. In my value system, leaving a planet that is polluted, with a huge number of species close to extinction, the ozone layer gone, oceans rising, etc. are inexcusable because we are not doing everything we can to stop pollution. We consume on an absolutely obscene basis. I find that morally wrong.
I think you might be confusing the cleanliness of countries with how much they pollute. I'm not sure there is much of a correlation there. It is true that third world countries are not very clean because of poverty, but they may not be pumping out as much pollution from cars and factories as wealthier nations. It's really commendable that your company has responded to pollution controls, but I would note that companies rarely do this voluntarily, and that is a good argument for stricter environmental laws in the countries that supply us with cheap goods as the result of almost slave labor. It's really hard for countries with tough environmental laws to compete on price. We really need to level the playing field on environmental standards. A lot of the pollution from China blows into the U.S., for example. A recent study showed much more cross-continental environmental degradation than ever thought possible. So we really should all be in this together.
I thought this article was interesting about some of the changes America, and of course everyone's grandchildren, will experience due to global warming:
Climate Change Impacts: A Clear And Present Danger
How will
Global Warming
affect you...
Across the United States, the effects of global warming are harming people, property and other important aspects of nature and our society. Temperature rise has resulted in coral bleaching deaths in the Florida Keys and permafrost thaw in Alaska, destroying livelihoods and lifestyles. Worsening heat waves from Chicago to St Louis kill more people annually. Storms from Texas to North Carolina submerge homes and smother businesses. And all of this is only a small taste of what is to come from climate change.
Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth-USA have filed suit against the US Federal government for contributing to the chain of destruction created by carbon dioxide and climate change. The financing of fossil fuel extraction and transportation in developing countries by the US Federal Export-Import Bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, for the US’ profligate energy consumption, has added to the changes in the atmosphere that cause global warming. We contend that it also constitutes a violation of the National Environmental Policy Act, because it does not account for these impacts.
Some examples, from the experience of a representative sample of our members, include:
ALASKA
The temperature in the 50th state has increased by 7 degrees in the last 30 years according to federal officials. “We’ve had so many strange events, things are so different than they used to be, that I think most Alaskans now believe something profound is going on,” said Dr. Glenn Juday, an authority on climate change at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. “We’re experiencing indisputable climate warming. The positive changes from this take a long time, but the negative changes are happening real fast” (New York Times, below).
Impacts in this state, known better for its snow, sled-dogs and seals include the following:
Sea-ice break up and higher sea-level and stormsurge in coastal communities
Permafrost melt and subsidence of houses, roads, and the Trans Alaska Pipeline
The increased range and abundance of mosquitoes, even to Barrow in the far north
The death of a 4-million-acre spruce forest (rising temperatures let a beetle reproduce at twice the
normal rate leading to the largest loss of trees to insects ever in America)
Expansion of the fire season and catastrophic wildfires throughout the state
Melting glaciers and rising water temperatures, affecting wildlife habitat
Even the US government concluded in a report to the United Nations in May that, “There can no longer be any doubt that major changes in the climate have occurred in recent decades in the region, with visible and measurable consequences”. (Source: “Alaska, No Longer So Frigid, Starts To Crack, Burn And Sag”; New York Times; June 16, 2002).
THE CAROLINAS
Sea level is rising more rapidly along the U.S. coast than worldwide. Studies by EPA and others (http://www.gcrio.org/EPA/sealevel/chap9.txt) have estimated that along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, a one foot (30 cm) rise in sea level is likely by 2050 and could occur as soon as 2025. In the next century, a two foot rise is most likely, but a four foot rise is possible; and sea level may continue to rise for centuries, even if temperatures were to stop rising a few years hence (www.epa.gov/globalwarming/climate/future/sealevel.htm).
This reality threatens the homes and resorts on the “coastal barriers” of the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, even as far north as New Jersey (Coastal Management 18:65-90, 1991).
Erosion
Erosion threatens the high ocean sides of these densely developed islands and is generally viewed as a more immediate problem than inundation of their low bay sides. Many ocean shores are currently eroding 1 to 4 feet per year. Coastal engineers generally estimate that a 1 foot rise in sea level will cause beaches to erode 0.5 to 1 feet from New England to Maryland, 2 feet along the Carolinas, 1 to 10 feet along the Florida coast, and 2 to 4 feet along the California coast. Because many US recreational beaches are less than 100 feet wide at high tide, even a 1 foot rise in sea level would threaten homes in these areas.
A study released in June, 2000 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimates potential future impacts of coastal erosion in the United States. The report found that about a quarter of homes and other structures within 500 feet of the U.S. coastline and Great Lakes shorelines will be overtaken by erosion in the next 60 years. (See the Evaluation of Erosion Hazards at fema.gov.
Stormsurge
Warmer ocean temperatures, higher sea-levels and increased erosion places more of the people and properties on America’s coast at greater risk from extreme weather like hurricanes. Modeling how global warming will affect the intensity and frequency of these storms in the future is difficult due to the complexities of the climate system.
But wide variations in the total number of tropical storms including hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones occurring per decade have been observed, with evidence of an increase in the frequency of intense extra-tropical storms in the northern North Atlantic and adjacent areas of Europe (see gcrio.org. One of the realities arising from this trend and other impacts of global warming may be an increase in stormsurge.
Stormsurge is an abnormal rise in sea level accompanying a hurricane or other intense storm, and whose height is the difference between the observed level of the sea surface and the level that would have occurred in the absence of the cyclone. New maps from the Army Corps of Engineers and other public officials in North Carolina depict widespread damage and possible loss of human life as a result of this stormsurge effect combined with more people moving into coastal areas (see www.ncstormsurge.com/comaps.html).
FLORIDA
According to the World Resources Institute at least 60% of the world’s coral reefs are severely threatened and the Florida Keys are at risk, from climate change. The linkage between global warming and water temperature rise, which is a precursor to so-called coral bleaching events and the intensity and frequency of coral diseases, is well known. Additional causes of coral death in Florida’s waters that are associated with climate change include increased storm damage and lower levels of calcium carbonate in the warmer water, which is essential to coral growth. Global warming can destroy the reefs.
Bleaching is the most significant threat to coral reefs in Florida and worldwide. Coral reef bleaching, the whitening of diverse invertebrate taxa, results from the loss of symbiotic coral organisms and/or a reduction in photosynthetic pigment concentrations in organisms residing within corals. Coral reef bleaching is caused by various anthropogenic and natural variations in the reef environment including sea temperature, solar irradiance, sedimentation, inorganic nutrients, freshwater dilution and other sources. Coral bleaching events have been increasing in both frequency and extent worldwide in the past 20 years.
In 1983, the long-spine sea urchin began to die all over the Caribbean and coral reefs began to bleach. In 1986 the number of coral reef disease outbreaks increased, especially in the seasons when the water was warmest. Individuals reported witnessing the loss of 200-year old corals at the rate of three millimeters per day (see Report from May 1999). In 1987 there was more bleaching in the Keys and Caribbean and these trends continued into the 1990s until 1997- 1998 which witnessed the worst coral bleaching events ever, from the Red Sea to the Pacific. 2002 appears to be another record year.
COLORADO
Colorado is already suffering from the threats of drought, wildfire and flash floods. Since April 9th, 2002 the whole state has been officially in a ‘moderate to severe drought condition’–the first time in recorded history that all of Colorado has suffered drought at once. This drought has brought severe restrictions on water use for landscape maintenance, recreation, and even human consumption. The ongoing drought has dried out soils, turning them into hardpan that prevents water from seeping into the soil. This means that when it does rain, sometimes as intense cloudbursts, the water runs overland and downslope at accelerated rates which leads to flash floods, especially in canyons. At the same time wildfires have burnt thousands of acres throughout much of Colorado.
The City of Boulder is extremely vulnerable to the effects of global warming. Its water sources are dominated by annual snowpack contributions. Readings taken the week of April 29th, 2002 showed that snowpack at the lower mountain elevations had completely evaporated, a condition never seen in the many decades of record keeping at this site. The city’s upper snowpack is at 25 percent of the average readings over the past decades.
According to the US 2002 Climate Action Report, “Rising temperatures are very likely to affect snowfall and increase snowmelt conditions in much of the western and northern portions of the country that depend on winter snowpack for runoff. This is particularly important because snowpack provides a natural reservoir for water storage in mountainous areas, gradually releasing its water in spring and even summer under current climate conditions. Model simulations project that snowpack in western mountain regions is likely to decrease as U.S. climate warms.” It goes on to say the following startling fact:
“These reductions are projected, despite an overall increase in precipitation, because (1) a larger fraction of precipitation will fall as rain, rather than snow; and (2) the snowpack is likely to develop later and melt earlier. The resulting changes in the amount and timing of runoff are very likely to have significant implications in some basins for water management, flood protection, power production, water quality, and the availability of water resources for irrigation, hydropower, communities, industry, and the sustainability of natural habitats and species.” Boulder and much of Colorado suffers the consequences.
Threats to natural ecosystems will also be felt sharply in the Colorado Rockies. The US Assessment of Potential Climate Variability and Change says, “Some ecosystems that are already constrained by climate, such as alpine meadows in the Rocky Mountains, are likely to face extreme stress and disappear entirely in some places.” Many of the region’s ecosystems are also threatened by lack of water and higher temperatures, which will weaken their resilience to pest infestations-the pests themselves will adapt quickly to changing conditions and warmer temperatures may support more generations per season for pests that are cur-rently limited in range by environmental constraints.
Climate Change How It Might Affect You…
Some of the impacts that scientists predict are likely to occur are --
Nationwide
Increased incidence of severe weather events
Water contamination
Proliferation of invasive species
Loss of wetlands
Beach erosion
Destruction of natural habitats
Increase in frequency and intensity of winter storms
Sea level rise
Increased flooding
Higher temperatures
Warmer winters
Increased heat mortalities
Increased incidence of air pollution and high ground-level ozone days
The 2002 United States Climate Action Report projected that total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions will increase by 43% between 2000 and 2020.
Northeastern United States
Ski industry will be threatened by decreased snowpack
Less dramatic fall foliage colors
Maple syrup production will decline and eventually sugar maples will not grow in the United States
Estuaries, bays, and wetlands will be jeopardized by sea level rise
Mountainous areas will have high ground-level ozone days
Tick and mosquito populations will increase
New England, New York, and Western Pennsylvania forests will change to temperate deciduous forests similar to Southeastern Pennsylvania, Maryland and Northern Virginia today
Coastal property will be more vulnerable to hurricane damage
New York State’s summer will be similar to--
Option 1 – present day Maryland and southern Pennsylvania by 2100 (Hadley Model)
Option 2 – present day central Illinois or Missouri by 2100 (Canadian Model)
The Chesapeake Bay will experience a change in water temperature and salinity
Presence of cholera bacteria in the Chesapeake Bay will increase
Rail and subway tunnels in the New York metropolitan area could be inundated with water after severe storms
Some recreational beaches will disappear as sea levels rise
Dairy industry will face increased production costs as temperature increases
Lobsters will migrate further North as the ocean warms
The trout population will decrease as waters warm
What are Invasive Species?
These are species introduced into an environment they did not evolve in. They often have no natural enemies to limit their reproduction and spread. They usually have high reproductive rates, fast growth rates and spread quickly.
Why are Invasive Species bad?
They can threaten agricultural crops, edge out native species, and destroy ecosystems.
Southeastern United States
Summer climate of Georgia in the 2030s will be similar to the present day Florida panhandle
Increase in ‘El Nino’ events as CO2 in the atmosphere increases
Coastal counties from the Carolinas to Texas will experience an increase in flooding
Dryland corn yield will decrease up to 10% in Louisiana and large parts of Mississippi, Arkansas, and Kentucky
Sorghum yield will decrease in parts of Arkansas and upper Mississippi
Dryland peanut yields in the lower Delta and along the Gulf Coast will decrease up to 30%
25-50% increase in forest fires replacing much of the southeastern pine forest with pine savannas and grasslands
Pests such as the southern pine beetle will flourish in higher winter temperatures
Fish kills and algal blooms will increase in degraded coastal waters
Coastal wetlands and barrier islands will be inundated or displaced
Southeastern coastal areas will experience shoreline retreat and coastal land loss
Coastal and island facilities may not be insurable
Western United States
Some alpine ecosystems will disappear from the region
Biodiversity will decline
The ski season will shorten
Increased risk of spring flooding
Increased demands on the current water supply
Degraded water quality as runoff from farms and streets increases
Salinity levels will increase in the Colorado River
Increase in fire frequency
23-30% of butterflies living in the boreal areas in the Great Basin will become extinct
Some cold-water fish species will become extinct
Salmon and Chinook native to the Sacramento River will be threatened
Hundreds of square miles of low-lying coastal areas will be inundated by seawater
Coastal aquifers will be threatened by sea level rise
Midwestern United States
The Great Lakes’ water level may decrease several feet or more
Increased incidence of water born diseases such as St. Louis encephalitis
Forests will be more susceptible to pests, diseases, and forest fires
Cold-water fish such as brown and rainbow trout will be replaced by warm water species such as bass and catfish
Illinois’ summer climate will be similar to— Option 1- present day West Virginia in 2030 and like eastern North Carolina by 2100 (Hadley model) Option 2- present day Missouri and Arkansas by 2030 and eastern Texas and Oklahoma by 2100 (Canadian Model)
Spruce and fir forests will be replaced by oak and hickory forests Snow season will shorten up to 50% Increased flood risk in the Chicago area, Indiana, the lower part of the Missouri basin, and the St. Louis area Dairy industry will face increased production costs as temperature increases Herbicide use will increase Aspen and hardwoods in the north Midwest will be threatened by changes in soil and temperature Increase in water-born infections such as cryptosporidiosis and "Swimmers itch" Opportunities for ice fishing and snowmobiling will decrease as lake-ice cover is reduced
Great Plains
Heat stress on livestock will increase
Water demand for grass and alfalfa crops in Northeastern Colorado will increase 50%
Increased incidence of floods and soil erosion
Increase in the number of intense rainfall events especially in the Southern Great Plains
Colorado and Oklahoma will experience a doubling of the occurrence of heat stress periods (3-day
span where temperature exceeds 90°F)
Increase in the incidence of droughts
Increased risk of water (both ground- and surface water) contamination from livestock wastes,
fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, livestock wastes, salts, and sediments
Declining rural populations will make coping with climate change very challenging
Crop and livestock management will be challenged by increases in temperature, and reduced soil moisture
Air quality will worsen in Texas, Denver and much of the Colorado Rocky Mountain Front Range will experience worse air quality
Alaska
Coastal areas will be submerged, destroying ecosystems and damaging infrastructures
Spruce bark beetles and defoliating black-headed budworm will infest southern coastal forests
Tundra and mixed forests will be replaced by boreal forests
Yellow Cedar in the coastal forests will decline
Caribou will be threatened by reduced forage availability
The Trans-Alaska pipeline’s support structure will be damaged
Cormorants, kittiwakes, murres, larus gulls, guillemots, puffins, murrelets and other seabird
populations will decline
Stellar sea lions, polar bears, harbor seals, walrus, and bearded seal populations will decline
Reindeer will be threatened by habitat loss
Thawing of the permafrost will increase risk of landslides
Increase in tundra fires
Pacific Northwest
Columbia’s sewage and wastewater treatment system will be overwhelmed
Electricity generated from hydropower will decrease
Salmon stock will be threatened
Increased flooding in winter
Risk of summer water shortages
Puget Sound will experience severe landslides and erosion
Property and infrastructure destruction
Shellfish contamination will have human health impacts
Seattle will experience a severe water shortage
Northwest forests will dieback
Sap-sucking bark beetles, and defoliating spruce budworms and other southern insects will expand northward
Idaho’s potato crop yield will decline
Islands Of The Pacific And Caribbean
The endangered Hawaiian Honeycreeper bird family will be further threatened
Eastward migration of the Skipjack tuna, resulting in loss of profits in Micronesia
Loss of small fish, important to islanders’ diet
Considerable agricultural losses in taro and banana trees
Coral Reefs:
-Coral reefs will be increasingly stressed and bleaching will increase
-Reef structure will weaken and growth rate will decline
-Reef die-off will lead to rapid erosion of island coasts and their eventual disappearance
Increase in flooding and landslides
Increase in hurricanes and typhoons
Tourism will be impacted by damaged ecosystems
Increased risk of disease transmission
Caribbean forests will be threatened by invasive species
Mangrove forests’ growth rate will decline
Some of the Administration’s Strategies on Climate Change just don’t make sense…
The United States Climate Action report proposes to stem climate change by developing technological breakthroughs in the process of capturing carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion and storing it underground and deploying new nuclear plants.
Increasing our dependence on nuclear power plants would only compound our current problems with waste disposal and increase our risk of nuclear catastrophe. Furthermore, storing carbon dioxide underground might not prove as contentious as storing nuclear waste but we would be better served to reduce the amount of CO2 released. Unfortunately, the administration opposes many of the measures, which might reduce emissions; such as better fuel economy standards and reduced power plant emissions.
References:
National Assessment Synthesis Team. Climate Change Impacts on the United States: The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change, US Global Change Research Program, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UK, 2001. usgcrp.gov
U.S. Department of State, U.S. Climate Action Report 2002, Washington, DC: May 2002. epa.gov
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