Economic Effects

According to CSIRO, the oceans generate about $52 billion per year. Climate change threatens the fisheries and tourism industry that are the source of this income for many of the world's countries. While oil and coal companies may be negatively impacted by more environmentally friendly practices, industries such as these would greatly benefit from a global effort to reduce human impact on the environment.

An article in Rolling Stone talks about how many nations have invested in businesses that have negative effects on the environment. These companies may be aware of the danger they could be causing but are too financially invested to truly change their practices. Also, some nations derive their wealth from natural resources, such as oil, and are not willing to risk the economic downfall in order to help the environment. These people are willing to wait and let the next generations deal with the problem when it absolutely cannot be avoided any longer.

There is another article in Rolling Stone about the effect of climate change in Australia. This article talks about how Australia's extremely variable climate causes them to experience the results of climate change greater than in other parts of the world. However, they produce a lot of coal in order to boost their economy. This is causing further ecological damage, which they are seeing through storms, severe fires, and long droughts. They are also likely to lose the tourist attraction the Great Barrier Reef. It is time for Australia, along with other countries, to overlook the temporary economic effects for the long term environmental and economical effects.

The state of North Carolina passed a new law in August of 2012 bans use of latest science on rising sea levels. Instead of listening to the frightening new evidence of rising sea levels scientists are finding they are just ignoring the facts. The proponents of the bill claim the current scientific methods of determining future sea levels are flawed and are not considering the economic effects of preparing for such a quick, large increase in sea level. I believe that this is the complete opposite of what they should be doing. They need to be aware that not preparing for the effects of an increased sea level for lead to an even greater economic effect later. To learn more about the effects of changes in sea level, refer to this page.

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