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How Climate Change Affects Northern America by City Tech Blogger Andrew Singh

All throughout the world, climate change, caused by global warming is a very serious thing.  Climate change and global warming come hand in hand with one another.  Global warming is the deterioration of the atmosphere due to the release of greenhouse gasses which is mainly caused by the burning of gasoline, diesel, fossil fuel and even natural emissions.  The deterioration of the atmosphere traps more of the radiation and the heat from the sun on the Earth, not allowing it back into space, which gradually increases the average temperature of the Earth, therefor affecting the climate of all countries across the planet.

With the effect of climate change, the climate of America has changed over the years as well.  The summers have become hotter, and the winters warmer and fiercer.  America experiences seasonal changes and with that comes the weather.  During the summer, the average temperature had increased, and can be felt by the people throughout the country.  The summers are hotter and more humid for longer periods of time than in prior years.  This can mean that during the crop season due to lack of water and desirable conditions, the crops can be harder to grow, or may die out altogether, which can cause a shortage of food and an increase in price of crops that did survive the harvest.  This is an impact towards the middle of the country where agriculture is most common.  The impact on the western section of America is more consequential since there is mainly dry, desert style land there.  The increase in heat and the lack of water may cause drought, which is something that is more than likely to happen and is already being brought to attention.  On the eastern section of America, there are also effects that can be felt.  During the summer, when the heat rises, there is a stress on the electrical grid, due to the multitude of people using their air conditions, as well as the addition of heat which is already there from the current running through all the cities.

In addition to the heat of summer, there is also an effect in the winter.  During the winter, the average temperature changes drastically throughout the season.  There are also periods in which the precipitation is virtually nonexistent, however when it does rain, or snow, there is typically a lot of it in a single storm as well as high winds to accompany.  These storms can cause major damage to any cities that cross its path which normally have devastating consequences.  There is also extreme damage to the land in agricultural areas and city areas alike.  In the areas where agriculture is used, the excessive amount of sudden precipitation in addition to high winds and freezing damage the soil for the oncoming summer.  The land becomes muddy and swamp-like which is something where crops are unable to grow and repairing fields that have this issue can be expensive and labor intensive to the person who owns it.  In the cities, where there are asphalt roads, the most common and well-known issue caused by winter, are potholes.  Potholes are caused when water from either rain or melted snow seeps into cracks in the asphalt and freezes.  When the water freezes it expands, distorting the asphalt and even breaking off chunks of it.  These potholes cause excessive damage to vehicles and are even dangerous to drive over since it is easier to lose control of the vehicle and cause accidents.

The change in climate is causing the country of America to change as well and is presenting all sorts of new problems to the people who live there.  There is no absolute solution to these problems, but there will continue to be issues while the climate continues to change as drastically as it is.

 

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