Scientists know that global warming is taking place, but what is holding us, the prominent, most powerful country in-the-world, the United States of America, and Canada back from stopping or reducing it? What are the projections? How will it affect humans? Animals? our delicate Environment?
Global warming is the progressive and gradual rise of the Earth's surface temperature because of the greenhouse effect. Global warming is responsible for changes in global climate patterns.
Our worlds geography and global climates are vital to many; some people are more dependant on the consistency of the climate and geography-specific vegetation than others. For example, in some of the less technologically advanced parts of Oceania (New Guinea, Indonesia, etc.) the tribes occupying the land know the land and how to work it to let them survive; it is the only way they know. If the world were to change, even gradually, many cultures as well as animals will be very vulnerable to starvation resulting in death, of whole nations of people. Here in the United States as well as Canada, our huge countries arent vulnerable to extinction; though our way of life will be greatly altered.
Climate is the weather in some location averaged over some long period of time. If global warming were to continue to occur, our whole worlds climate would be changed. Many of our continents ice glaciers will melt and oceans will flood on the banks of our nations. The panhandle of Florida will disappear, so will some of California, not to mention almost all of northern Canada which is made mostly of glaciers, big masses of ice.
In addition to the recent events of Hurricane Katrina (global warming contributes to hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico), New Orleans and southern Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana will banish under the flooding coastlines. This small part of our country holds a huge amount of oil; unfortunately one of the major bases of our economy. With no oil, factories cannot function and therefore products cannot be produced. People will loose jobs, use up their savings, and join the already large group of those living in poverty.
Not only will flooding and global warming ruin our monetary economy, crops will be ruined, either flooded on the coast, or die in the unbearable heat.