The Complete Idiot's Guide to 2012 - Dr. Synthia Andrews Nd [99]
According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) own figures, an estimated 150,000 deaths occurred in 2000 due to climate change. An unprecedented heat wave in 2003 left 14,800 people dead in France alone, representing a 60 percent increase in expected mortality. Much of North America experienced a severe heat wave in July 2006, which contributed to the deaths of at least 225 people. Five hundred people died in the European heat wave of July 15-22, 2007. One can readily see that global warming is already happening and is an important threat to human life.
Economic Costs
The economic costs of global warming are astronomical. Just looking at the costs of extreme weather alone is enormous. The loss of personal property is only part of it. Government costs in rescue and restoring infrastructure are crippling. Consider the past few years in the United States. How many Katrina-like storms can any country absorb?
Storms are not the whole story; many aspects of the economy are also impacted, such as health care, agriculture, and energy costs. Consider the increased health risks from the loss of the ozone layer, like skin cancer from increased UV radiation, and asthma. Agriculture is suffering from drought, crop damage, and increased energy requirements to grow crops. The overall effect is skyrocketing prices for food, energy, and other commodities.
Codex Cues
At the same time as we are experiencing huge economic challenges from global warming, there are areas for growth and expansion. The melting of the ice caps has manufacturing and shipping companies increasing production of cargo vessels to take advantage of the opening of new trade routes. Oil exploration into large oil fields is being negotiated among different countries. Tourism into the Artic is expanding. While none of these are good news for the arctic ecosystem, the development of eco-friendly technologies is finally receiving the research and development money they require. There is no doubt that for some, global warming is an economic opportunity. With proper political and social direction, the new technologies can make us all winners.
Environmental Impact
The environmental impact is so severe there is no real way to quantify it. I’m sure you have seen the awful pictures of polar bears trying to adjust to the disappearing ice caps as their habitat is destroyed. They have recently been added to the endangered species list. The way things are going, they will certainly become extinct along with many other species. It’s estimated that climate-induced habitat change will push species that are endangered over the edge to extinction. The loss of the rainforest over the next 40 years will remove the cauldron of new species development. And this is a small part of the picture.
Climate change is killing the coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea, the South Pacific Ocean, and parts of the 18-million-year-old barrier reef in Australia. In your lifetime, you will see the loss of these natural resources. There are those who think the death of the coral reefs will bring the death of the oceans. That’s how important these natural treasures are to life in the oceans.
As we lose rainforests, ocean ecosystems, and other natural habitats, biodiversity on the planet decreases. The first law of ecology is that diversity increases stability. As we lose diversity on the planet, the global ecosystem becomes more fragile.
Into the Future
Looking at the models and the trends, the future is looking a little bleak. Certainly the United Nations and most worldwide governments see a potential disaster in climate change. However, if the prophecies have taught us anything, they have taught us that we have a choice. The future is what we