GLOBAL WARMING:
THINGS ARE HEATING UP

“The climatic shifts happening today are signs of what could happen if global warming is allowed to continue unabated into the next century.” These predictions come from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a 2,000-member body of international climate scientists and experts that is recognized as the authority on the science of global warming. In the past 10 years, the group has released two major assessments of global warming science and impacts, and now is preparing to issue another report in 2000. The reports predict a wide range of environmental and economic impacts that leave few areas of the globe untouched. We’ve all heard of the impending or present danger of super storms. The meeting of different fronts which create giant storms, big enough for even Hollywood to cover. These ominous winds create havoc at sea and bash coastal areas every year. Ironically, storm cycles, which islands in the South Pacific rely heavily upon, have been dumping their rain hundreds of miles out to sea, leaving normally tropical regions battling for water. But one of the most covert aspects of global warming is its potential to further the spread of infectious diseases around the world. Scientists predict the warmer, wetter weather will create ideal conditions for the insects and rodents that carry malaria, hantavirus, and dengue fever. Heat-related illness and deaths would increase because of the hotter weather and longer heat waves. Rising temperatures could also significantly reduce air quality, creating ideal conditions for the increase in the frequency and severity of asthma attacks, bronchitis, and other respiratory ailments. We’re seeing this kind of problem in major cities around the world. Crop Losses Generally, scientists expect a northward shift in crop productivity. Farms that were once ideal areas to grow in, will become arid fields and new land will be sought to continue food production. This inevitably leads to regional tensions and isolated conflicts between neighboring countries as more than one war was been fought over food. And what may be worse, higher temperatures and changing rainfall patterns could also shift crop diseases and pests northward and create water shortages as irrigation demand climbs. Because global average temperature has been rising, global sea level has also been rising and is expected to go up as much as 37 inches by 2100. Even if we stabilized global warming pollution, some rise in coastal waters would continue, simply because of the processes already set in motion. A three foot rise in the sea level would leave most of the world’s coastal areas underwater and contaminate inland water sources with salt, rendering them undrinkable and unusable. Most of the world’s major cities, those which “run’ the planet, are most vulnerable as the majority are situated right next an ocean or major inland water source. The flooding of New York City, for instance, is something that has been feared by environmentalists and business both. Inland, changes in precipitation could affect water supplies and quality, which in turn would affect agriculture, fisheries, recreation, and drinking water. In forests, the maple, spruce, and fir trees could die off as the temperatures warm. Drier soils could cause more forest fires, while higher temperatures would increase forest pests and allow diseases to emerge more quickly. Current research shows global warming is responsible for warmer and drier conditions that have wiped out 20 frog species in Central America and shifted butterfly habitats in Europe. Higher temperatures could also lead to extensive or prolonged drought, leaving forest areas worldwide more susceptible to wildfires. FUTURE ECONOMIC IMPACTS There's no question global warming could have serious impacts on the world’s economy. The cost of property damage and lost productivity could greatly affect states and even whole regions. As for businesses, no industry is more susceptible to the effects of global warming than the insurance industry. According to Munich Reinsurance Co., the world's largest re-insurer, damages from severe weather and flood catastrophies have cost $272 billion in the 1990s, three times more than a decade ago. As difficult as it is to feel sorry for wealthy insurance companies, the settlements paid out will eventually show up as higher premiums and tighter policies. So what’s the answer? There probably isn’t one. We’ve been warned for decades about the unsettling effects global warming is having and will have in the future, but we as humans don’t seem too concerned about doing much about it. As most of the gases responsible for the blanketing the atmosphere are the result of driving automobiles and burning fossil fuels, we put little stock in the development of environmentally safe alternatives. Perhaps the answer is to invest in underground bunkers and artificial food sources. If you’re rich enough, you maybe able to leave the planet altogether and spend your final years floating in space. The poor will continue to live on earth, toiling what little fields they have left and dying prematurely from a variety of social ills. Global warming is probably here to stay and we will continue to try to adapt to the changing world around us.