Climate Change In The United States

Across the globe, we are currently facing one of the biggest environmental challenges we have ever seen, as climate change continues to affect the world we live in. Changing climates have already had a noticeable effect on our environment, with glaciers shrinking, ice melting and wildlife changing patterns.

Climate change has been around for many years and is commonly referred to as global warming, however many people across the US are yet to really understand the impact it is having on the country and the rest of the world.

What Is Climate Change?
Climate change is affecting the entire world and refers to the fact that the earth’s temperature is rising faster than it naturally would. Over many years the planet has naturally warmed up and cooled down over the eras, but these changes in temperature have been very gradual and take millions of years to occur.

In recent times, we have seen the global temperature change drastically, and over 200 years we are reaching climate change levels that in the past have caused extinction. In the US, climate change has begun impacting in various ways including wildfires, droughts, flooding and extreme weather.

Climate Change In The United States
The fire seasons in the US have been getting longer as the climate has changed over the years. Wildfires are burning for longer than ever before, and there has been a significant increase in the number of large fires that have broken out across the country. Areas such as Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and California have all experienced more wildfires recently than they have in the past.

It is expected that short term droughts will intensify across the US and longer lasting droughts will worsen in large areas such as the South West, the southern Great Plains and the South East. Changes in climate change are the reasons behind these increasing droughts as various lakes and rivers across the country see dropping water levels.

Climate change is also causing more flooding and heavy rainfall across the country, with floods being one of the most common and costly weather-related disasters in America. Coastal areas are among the worst affecting thanks to the rising sea levels and worsening storms.