Greenhouse gases, say some scientists, are the leading cause of climate change. Greenhouse gases are gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and nitrous oxide. All of these gases occur naturally, but human production of these gases through uses of such things as cars, trucks and smokestacks. When the climate changes, weather changes along with it, causing things such as floods, droughts, and other types of extreme weather. In northern Alaska, residents are feeling the pressing matter of a heating climate. In their towns, they are dealing with issues such as rising sea levels, melting permafrost, and increased costal erosion, sending houses and roads straight into the sea. An effect of climate change is also forest fires, when forests are burned during a natural fire, or to clear land for housing, it releases carbon dioxide, a cause of global warming and therefore climate change, which causes the droughts and then the forest fires again.
Alaska has been identified to be the main concern of Global Warming. Artic Climate Impact Assessment reports that the Arctic has lost about 15 % to 20 % of their ice. This takes away the habitat of the natural fauna, including ducks and other waterfowl. Another one of the big effects of Global warming is that polar bears have been drowning after looking for scarce Arctic ice. Polar bears have been added to the “Red List” of major threatened species for extinction.
Global Warming has also caused the bird population’s Seasonal Migration to be interrupted, as well as prematurely waking up animals such as bears from hibernation, as well as the scarce availability of foods at the time animals seek them out. Also, pollinating insects might not be able to get to flowers in time. Ocean life has also been threatened by this warming. Two coral species have been added to the USA’s threatened list because of the major loss of coral, the second largest ecosystem. Temperatures rising in the water as well as harmful hurricanes have caused the significant loss of coral. Certain species of animals have been wiped out such as the American pika, and species of harlequin frogs as another effect of Global Warming.
In 1988 in the American Midwest there was a terrible drought. Corn that usually grew to 3 feet at the height of growing season grew to only a foot, if even. Many farmers lost a lot of money that year when the crops failed and we had to get our corn shipped in from other countries. Then in 1989 the number of corn farmers was down because many farmers couldn’t afford water and seeds because they had very little, if no profits from the previous year. Scientist believes that global warming caused this drought.
Another problem with global warming and its effects on agriculture is climate change. When the climate in an area changes it allows foreign plants to grow in crop fields. These plants may take over and choke the crops and native plants that are part of a state’s agricultural economy.
If we don’t try to stop global warming our agricultural economy will decline and maybe even crash. Other countries that rely on us for corn, beef, and potatoes will go hungry. We must educate ourselves on global warming so that we can invent new things like hydrogen cars, and new refrigerators to stop the greenhouse effect, before it’s to late.
Bibliography
Gardiner, Lisa . "Air Pollution and Climate Chang." NCAR. 14 Feb 2006. 10 Dec 2006
McCaffrey, Mark . "heat is the difference between Weather and Climate?." NOAA. Friday, 09 Jan 2004. 10 Dec 2006
Weather, Climate, and Society. 10 Dec 2006
Perritano, John. “Can We Stop Global Warming?” Current Science. December, 1999: 8.
Weise, Elizabeth. “Alaska the ‘poster state’ for climate concerns.” USA Today. May, 2006.
O’Driscoll, Patrick. “Animals scramble as the climate warms.” USA Today. May, 2006.
Gardiner, Lisa. “Air Pollution affects Plants, Animals, and Environments.” http://www.windows.ucar.edu/earth/Atmosphere/wildlife_forests.html, February 21, 2006.
