Selena Valle
Economics
July 25, 2012
The Effect of Global Warming on the
Economy
What exactly is global warming?
Global warming is a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's
atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels
of carbon dioxide, and other pollutants. For years, scientists have been trying
to figure out what causes global warming. One of the first
things scientists learned is that there are several greenhouse gases
responsible for warming, and humans emit them in a variety of ways. Most come
from the combustion of fossil fuels in cars, factories and electricity
production. The planet is warming, from North Pole to South Pole, and
everywhere in between, it’s affecting our environment, our food supply and our
natural resources.
Global
warming is one of the biggest contributors to our polluted air. Some impacts
from increasing temperatures are already happening. Ice is melting worldwide,
especially at the Earth’s poles. This includes mountain glaciers, ice sheets
covering West Antarctica and Greenland, and Arctic sea ice. Some butterflies,
foxes, and alpine plants have moved farther north or to higher, cooler areas. Sea
level rise became faster over the last century. Hurricanes and other storms are
becoming stronger. Soon enough, ecosystems will change. Some species will move
farther north or become more successful; others won’t be able to move and could
become extinct. The ice is disappearing and scientists are afraid that polar
bears will soon become extinct. Less fresh water will be available. Some
diseases will spread such as malaria carried by mosquitoes.
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