Global warming how can it affect us

Flood damage Photo: Brien Aho. Different regions of the country will be affected in different ways, some more than others. Here are 10 of them. Floods, the most common and deadly natural disasters in the U. Heavy precipitation is projected to increase throughout the century to potentially three times the historical average. A study found that over 40 million Americans are at risk of flooding from rivers, and over 8.

Flood damage Photo: David Fine. He asserted that scientists have strong evidence that global warming will increase the frequency or intensity of heavy rain events, and coastal flooding due to hurricane storm surge is also worsening because of sea level rise and increased precipitation. In addition, he said, the frequency and intensity of droughts and wildfires are on the rise.

While no state is immune to wildfires, 13 states in the West are considered susceptible to the most severe wildfire damage, with California having the most acres burned in A national analysis found that , homes are at extreme risk of wildfire in these 13 states.

But even if homes do not burn to the ground, they may suffer smoke and fire damage, as well as water damage and flooding from fire fighting efforts. As insurance companies pay out huge amounts to homeowners whose houses have been damaged by climate change impacts, many are raising premiums to offset their costs. Home insurance rates increased more than 50 percent between and In high-risk areas, premiums and deductibles may rise, coverage may be more limited, and insurance could ultimately become unaffordable or unavailable for some, especially in climate-vulnerable areas.

For Connecticut homeowners, insurance rates have gone up 35 percent in the last 10 years; for homeowners with property along the coast, rates have gone up by over 50 percent. In , California insurance companies would not renew over 10, policies for homes in high-risk areas. Recently, however, the state issued a one-year moratorium preventing insurers from dropping customers who live in areas at risk from wildfire.

Travelers Insurance Company now requires separate deductibles in areas where hurricanes and tornadoes are more common. With continued global warming, heat waves are expected to increase in frequency, duration and intensity.

Jane Baldwin, a postdoctoral research scientist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, found that compound heat waves—heat waves that occur in sequence, one after the other—will also increase, making recovery from heat waves more difficult. Agricultural workers in California Photo: Holgerhubbs. People who work outdoors, such as construction workers, miners, firefighters and agricultural workers, will be most affected by increasing temperatures.

Florida, for example, has one of the highest rates of heat-related hospitalizations in the U. This summer during a heat wave, the majority of heat-related visits to emergency rooms in Virginia were made by people aged , 70 percent of whom were men. Indoor workers in warehouses and steel plants can also be affected by excessive heat. One study suggested that outdoor workers should begin their shifts earlier in the day, but if global warming continues at the current pace, by , they would have to start working four to six hours before dawn.

Currently, there are no federal laws that protect workers from heat stress, but in July, a bill was introduced into the House of Representatives that would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to establish standards to protect those working in the heat. As temperatures rise, people will need to stay cool for health and comfort reasons. Climate Central analyzed cities in the U. As we rely more heavily on air conditioners and fans, electricity bills will get higher.

The increased demand for electricity, especially during peak periods, can also over-tax the electrical grid, triggering brownouts or blackouts. Extreme weather, such as hurricanes, heat waves or snowstorms, can cause power outages too. Between the mids and , there was a ten-fold increase in power outages, 80 percent of which were caused by weather.

Pre-emptive blackouts could become a common occurrence. Brownouts or blackouts can also result if hydropower plants have less water to draw from in rivers and lakes, and if water becomes too warm to cool nuclear or coal power plants. Municipalities are recognizing the need to make their communities more resilient in the face of climate change impacts.

Grand Rapids, Michigan had problems with flooding and aging stormwater infrastructure. In , the residents rejected a Asthma and other respiratory diseases.

People suffering from heart problems are more vulnerable to increased temperatures, especially those living in already warm areas, as their cardiovascular system must work harder to keep their body cool. Hot temperatures increase the ozone concentration, which can damage people's lung tissue and cause complications for asthma patients and those with lung diseases.

Increased global warming can also pose a threat to national security, affecting food security, which, in turn, can lead to resource conflicts. Despite opposition from many Council members, such as the Russian Federation and China, she argued that the loss of basic needs due to climate change in poor countries can increase the risk of conflicts. Similarly, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has labelled climate change as "an act of aggression by the rich against the poor". On a positive note, many countries have now realized the grave consequences of global warming.

Protest participants in many American cities like Boston and New York have urged the Government to reduce emissions up to 80 per cent by ; some 1, protest events have been organized in the United States under the Step It Up banner. In Sydney, Australia, businesses and homeowners switched off their lights to acknowledge the critical issue of global warming.

Likewise, corporations are realizing the need to become environmentally friendly. PepsiCo, a global beverage and snack company, plans to purchase 1 billion kilowatt hours of renewable energy over the next year. However, the major impact on reducing the effects of global warming cannot be made without the commitment of those countries that account for the greatest production of greenhouse gases. The development of conflict-sensitive approaches highlights how sustainable development can be made more effective through a consideration of peace and security.

Despite numerous challenges and obstacles, which are far greater now than prior to the events of August , there are still many ways for the international community to help education move forward in Afghanistan.

As we find ourselves in the greatest education crisis of our generation, literacy interventions can act as an antidote to the long-term effects of COVID Gohlke, J. Hess, S. Howard, G. Luber, J. Lutz, T. Maslak, N. Prudent, M. Radtke, J. Rosenthal, T. Rowles, P. Sandifer, J. Scheraga, P. Schramm, D. Strickman, J. Ebi, K. Balbus, G. Luber, A. Bole, A. Crimmins, G.

Glass, S. Saha, M. Shimamoto, J. Trtanj, and J. White-Newsome, Human Health. Avery, D.