Climate Change in US

Climate Change in US

Introduction

In the recent past, the climate change in the US has been debated widely. The primary reason behind this is global warming and the emission of gases per capita. This is a much debated topic in that it is something that affects not only the environment but also the people. in an effort to become the leader in technology and innovation and self sufficient in energy, the emission of greenhouse gases from the US is one of the highest in the world. This is a global challenge that needs to be addressed. Climate change in the US has an impact on businesses, individuals, localities, states and even governments around the globe. The paper discusses the change in the US Climate and its impact on the country today and in future (Costa & Matthew, 2004).

Objectives

Climate change is the biggest environmental problem on a global scale which has interactions with large energy policies, water, food, waste management and geostrategic natural areas. The objectives of the paper are as follows:

To study the impact of climate change on the US

To study the impact of climate change on human health

To understand the US policies to address the issue

Key findings

It has been found that the climate changes in the United Stated are not a phenomenon of the present. Instead this is something which will grow in future too (Holland & Jonathan, 2009). The changes pertaining to climate have been observed in the coastal waters of the united stated of America. These climate changes have been found in the form of a rise in the level of sea water, rise in the temperature of the country, very heavy downpour, the seasons of oceans that remained ice free have also lengthened, there has been growth in the growing season, the snow melts much before the actual time, it melts easy and flow of water in the rivers has also increased considerably. These changes are to grow in future as illustrated by the graph hereunder.

In the realm of this situation, it would be difficult for the US farmers to grow crops and hence, their yield will also be affected. Agriculture is one of the sectors in an economy which is most affected by changes in climate. This sector not only gets affected but is known to adapt to the changes too. In the recent times, conditions such as increase in temperature, diseases, pests and stress in the water level has posed a threat to the annual yield of the country. Hence, the production level of livestock and agriculture is estimated to dwindle in future.

Emissions of Greenhouse gas

According to the statistics posted for the year 2009, it has been found that United States of America is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases. This is true for fossil fuels such as CO2 and greenhouse gases which are emitted during deforestation and construction. The emissions figures for the former are 5,420 mt and for the latter it is 6,930 mt (Fischer & Louis, ...