Worldwide+Effect

 

**WORLDWIDE EFFECT Nick Vlahos(Maldives) and Jeff Carroll (agriculture)**
= = =The Maldives Islands are an example of how a rise in sea level is already effecting land masses, human populations, and natural ecosystems=

Located off the coast of India, The Republic Maldives is country of a group islands whose beautiful landscape and population is being threatened by the effects of climate change. About 350,000 people live in this country and by the year of 2030 it is possible that all of the 1200 islands will be submerged under the rising ocean. But the effects of the rising sea level are already taking place. Smaller islands are diminishing and coastal erosion is taking away some of the land on the larger islands. Coral reefs are not growing as fast and don't shelter the land as well. The waves from storms are hitting the islands harder than ever, doing damage on a number of landforms. Beach houses are being washed away, palm trees are getting wiped out, and salty sea water is inhibiting some of the souces of drinking water. But what causes the coral not to grow at its usually pace? The answer is simple, a rise in temperature. The climate change is also taking its toll on the economy. Tourism produces one third of the country's income but the rise in sea level has flooded some of the island resorts that host the tourists. What can be done to stop this from happening?

Progress has already been made to try and save the Maldives people and their country. Artifical islands built 3 meters above sea level, have housed people who had to abandon their homeland and new technology have helped create coral that can grow in the new temperatures. What is happening in The Maldives is not a local cause and effect. The rise in sea level is a global problem and until we change the climate globally, nations like the Malives will be gone before we know it.



__The Affect of Global Warming on Agriculture__
There are many factors of global warming that are affecting the art of agriculture. Farm fields in California has helped this economy a great deal with the hard times. All was going good up uptill 2006 where California had faced a heat wave for three weeks. The amount of money in poultry that was lost in that three weeks amounted to about $85 million dollars i Fresno County alone. I see no better real life example of global warming, than this here. If the temperature continues to increase over the next few years we may experience droughts in many states and water will be more scarce than it ever has been. Since the temperature has increase over the past 3 years from 2006, this could potentially put us at even more risk. we need to understand how serious this actually is, the corn-fed food industry may strike a downfall in the next decades. Maple syrup production is already suffering, already the production of the maple trees is down 10% due to the warmer and shorter winters. if this continues, say good-bye to those lovely pancakes for breakfast smothered in maple syrup. A projected lack of water is said to happen within these next decades, and when it does desertification will accur, leaving a result like that of the Dust Bowl in the 1930's.

This is an example of what may be coming in the near future to agriculture:

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