London: Global warming is already having a major impact on life in America, a new report has warned.
According to the report by US government scientists, increasing storm surges, floods, melting glaciers and permafrost, and intensifying droughts are having a profound effect on the lives of Americans.
The report states that corn producers in Iowa, oyster growers in Washington state and maple syrup producers have observed changes in their local climate that are outside of their experience. Health services, water supplies, farming and transport are already being strained, the assessment adds, the Guardian reported.
Months after superstorm Sandy battered the east coast, causing billions of dollars of damage, the report concludes that severe weather disruption is going to be commonplace in coming years.
The report states that global warming is due primarily to human activities, predominantly the burning of fossil fuels.
The uncompromising language of the report and the stark picture that its authors have painted of the likely effects of global warming, have profound implications for the rest of the world. If the world’s greatest economy is already feeling the strain of global warming, and is fearful of its future impact, then other nations face a very worrying future as temperatures continue to rise as more and more greenhouse gases are pumped into the atmosphere.
According to Bob Ward from the London School of Economics, for people outside the US, the new report carries a brutal message because it shows that even the world’s leading economy cannot simply adapt to the impacts of climate change. The problem clearly needs concerted international action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to avoid the worst potential consequences.
ANI