Sunday, May 7, 2017

Economic impact resulting from global warming?

There are several different ways in which global climate change will have economic impacts. Some are fairly direct, and others are indirect.
One of the most directly affected sectors will be agriculture. As climates change, crops will not be able to grow in the locations in which they were previously cultivated, due to changing seasons, temperatures, and precipitation patterns. This will affect not only food crops but also animal husbandry and forestry. Climate change will also affect fisheries.
The next major impacts will be due to rising sea levels. As sea levels rise, many coastal areas will experience increased flooding. As many of the world's largest cities (such as New York) are in coastal areas, this may have a massive economic impact.
Global warming also increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and thunderstorms, which can destroy large amounts of property, damage infrastructure, cause wind or flood damage, and disrupt regular economic activity.
A somewhat indirect effect may be the spread of tropical diseases and pests into areas that were previously inhospitable to them. Mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, dengue fever, and West Nile virus are already moving into the United States, and Chikungunya and Rift Valley fever are gradually spreading northward toward Europe. Diseases have economic repercussions, leading to decreased productivity and more economic resources being diverted from infrastructure investment to health care.
Finally, global warming and extreme weather events may lead to increased migration and political instability, both of which can have negative effects on economies.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Why is the fact that the Americans are helping the Russians important?

In the late author Tom Clancy’s first novel, The Hunt for Red October, the assistance rendered to the Russians by the United States is impor...