Disadvantages Of Climate Change

Our climate plays an important role in human societies and affects agriculture, ecosystems, our natural environment and our health.

Human activities such as pollution and deforestation, has changed the climate as a whole, leading to an increased amount of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide to enter the atmosphere. The effects of this has led to higher sea levels, loss of sea ice and an increase in heat waves across the globe.

A recent report released by the Environmental Protection Agency, titled “Climate Change in the United States: Benefits of Global Action” suggest that climate change impacts can be reduced or avoided through greenhouse gas mitigation. It focuses on the physical and economic risks of unmitigated climate change and

Health:

Unmitigated climate change will result in worsening air quality across a large section of the United States especially across metropolitan areas in the eastern, mid-western, and southern states.

Veres explains that warmer temperatures can lead to an increase in surface ozone (smog), which in the long run will cause more respiratory problems, especially among children and the elderly. Warming will also lead to more frequent occurrences of heat waves during the summer, causing more heat related deaths.

The report suggest that with air quality mitigation there will be significant public health benefits in the U.S. as 13,000 premature and 57,000 premature deaths will be avoided by the year 2100. Under the mitigation scenario, extreme death will be reduced by 64% in 2050 and by 93% in the year

is important in economic growth and has been the backbone of this nation for over a century.

If greenhouse gas emissions aren’t reduced, an estimated 190,000 inland bridges across the nation will become structurally vulnerable due to climate change. In addition to our bridges, our roads will be affected as adaptation costs with the effect of higher surface temperatures will increase over time.

“With a warming climate, sea level rise will lead to extensive damage along coastlines and the need for investments into mitigating the damage,” Veres stated. “This will lead to more rapid degradation of transportation infrastructure of roads, railroads and highways.

With greenhouse house gas mitigation, the U.S. would avoid spending an estimated $4.2-$7.4 billion dollars in road damage by 2100. In addition, an estimated 720-2,200 fewer bridges will become structurally vulnerable due to necessary funding to these infrastructures and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.