Pollution at the top produces melting there too. As the ice-capped Arctic Ocean warms, ship traffic will increase at the top of the world. And if the sea ice continues to melt, a new route connecting international trading partners may emerge. Increased shipping may bring more markets to sell to and thus more manufacturing, creating more jobs, but alas, it’s not all good news: It will also have significant repercussions to the climate.
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One of the main substitutes for green-house gas emitting energy is WIND POWER, but we’d better build more wind turbines soon, because climate change can cut down on wind and make this technology useless. The prevailing winds in the "free" atmosphere about 1,000 meters above the ground are maintained by a temperature gradient that decreases toward the poles. Climate researcher Diandong Ren says, "For example, Wichita, Kansas is cooler, in general, than Austin, Texas. The stronger the temperature contrast, the stronger the wind."
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Bad news for 35 million allergy sufferers: ragweed, fungal spores and poison ivy are thriving due to rising carbon dioxide levels. Additionally, leaves fed by heightened levels of carbon dioxide enable fungi to reproduce more rapidly and spread more allergenic spores, leading to higher rates of allergies and asthma. Plant physiologist Lewis Ziska says, "Plant-based respiratory allergies are on the rise and increased levels of ragweed pollen are in the air. Climate change is affecting plants and human health, especially allergy sufferers." Climate change also affects allergen levels in homes, schools and offices. Not only are people allergic to outdoor allergies going to experience more symptoms, so are people with indoor allergies.read more
All over the world, people are moving into cities from the countryside, because young people want jobs and older people want a more convenient lifestyle. These changes could significantly affect global emissions of carbon dioxide over the next 40 years. By mid-century it is estimated that global population could rise by more than 3 billion people, with most of that increase occurring in urban areas.read more