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Global climate change is also affecting weather and seasonal patterns. For example, in some parts of the United States winters are becoming shorter and warmer, while summers are getting longer. This is changing the way we make a living and affecting the ecological systems around us. While some might think that longer, hotter summers would be good for some of the things we value, impacts can be hard to predict. For instance, longer summers are not necessarily good for farmers. Crops may have longer growing seasons, but those seasons may be drier. Some areas are experiencing severe, long-term droughts. More pest and plant diseases problems can also develop with warmer average temperature. Other changes affect glaciers and polar ice fields. These have started to melt slowly, resulting in the increase of ocean water levels. Rising sea levels are flooding coastlines and some island countries. Climate change is also causing more severe storms, like Hurricane Katrina. Changing weather patterns may affect us closer to home. If you like to snowshoe, ski or snowmobile, you may not be able to do these things as much in the future. One impact of climate change on some parts of the northern United States could be shorter winters and less snow. |
