Negative Effects of Climate Change

1280 Words6 Pages
Weather or Not Climate change, a serious and growing problem that faces the United States and the world, negatively impacts the environment, economy, and society. Climate change is the change in global weather patterns largely due to increasing amounts of carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere. Some citizens and politicians deny the existence of climate change for political reasons, but we can’t afford to be wrong about this issue; our planet and lives are at stake. We cannot look to politicians with hidden agendas to verify the truth of the matter asserted, but rather scientists and researchers whose factual data proves its existence. Recent studies have shown that ninety-seven percent of scientists believe that manmade actions cause climate change (Samenow). The inconvenient truth is that climate change is a reality that must be addressed. The environment has become polluted, unpredictable, and dangerous as a result of climate change. The three major effects of climate change are: flooding, drought, and spread of disease. Scientists studying the polar ice caps have observed consistent annual increases in the rates at which they are melting; this indicate, that the temperature of Earth’s water is increasing and sea levels are rising. In July of 2013, the temperatures at the North Pole where up to five degrees above average, in fact it was so hot that the melting ice caps formed a lake on top of the world (Breslin). Increasing water temperatures could cause hurricanes to be stronger in force and frequency; image Hurricane Sandy but stronger and on a consistent basis. Along with rising temperatures comes rising sea levels which means that all land with altitudes below sea level are at risk of becoming submerged. The U.S. eastern seaboard is particularly vulnerable, including the entire state of Florida and cities such as New York City, Washington D.C.,
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