biology

Biology

Effects of Global Warming on Water Resources in the USA

Introduction

“Global warming is the gradual increase in the earth’s overall temperature which is generally caused by greenhouse effects” (Diffenbaugh & Burke, 2019). With the change in the climate, it is expected that the water cycle will undergo a significant change. For instance, a warmer climate is seen to cause more water to evaporate from the water resources. “Availability of an adequate and safe water supply is important to the health, economy, and environment of any nation” (Clifton et al., 2018). The US is on average endowed with water. Various studies have shown that the climate change will have a major impact on the precipitation and evapo-transpiration, which affects the nation’s water supply. Therefore, climate changes in the water cycle are seen to cause negative effects of the weather events as well as availability of water to meet growing demand.

Body

It is important that we should not ignore the effects of climate change and global warming to water resources in the US. An increase in temperatures in the US leads to an increase in the rate of water evaporation into the atmosphere. This increases the capacity of the atmosphere to hold water. Therefore, an increase in evaporation makes some areas to dry out while some areas experiencing heavy precipitation.

Therefore, the US should take the necessary steps in ensuring that the global warming issue has been solved. It is seen that various states in the US have taken the necessary steps in ensuring that the greenhouse gas emissions are regulated. This helps curb the increased trend in global warming.

In addition, the USA should ensure that there is a water conservation approach in order to protect the vulnerable water resources in the US. Thus, water conservation strategies that can be implemented by the US is monitoring water meters and tracking its use, optimizing cooling tower efficiency, installing WaterSense label, minimizing and eliminating landscape irrigation, and eliminating single pass cooling.

Also, the US has effectively implemented the carbon tax. This is an important approach in that it helps reduce the buildup of greenhouse gas emissions (Ghaith & Epplin, 2017). The carbon tax replaced command and control regulations. Moreover, carbon tax imposed in the US seeks to promote economic activity via a reduced regulatory burden. This means that the carbon tax will be able to ensure that the global warming aspect is properly mitigated. This is important in ensuring that the water resources in the US are effectively maintained.

Conclusion

“Global warming is the gradual increase in the earth’s overall temperature which is generally caused by greenhouse effects” (Diffenbaugh & Burke, 2019). An increase in the global warming aspect leads to negative effects towards the water resources in the US. Thus, the US needs to take the necessary approaches in ensuring that the global warming issue has been solved. There are various solutions which play an important role in ensuring that the effects on water resources do not lead to severe consequences. Water conservation and carbon tax implementation are seen as one of the best solutions in ensuring water resources in the US is maintained.

REFRENCES

Clifton, C. F., Day, K. T., Luce, C. H., Grant, G. E., Safeeq, M., Halofsky, J. E., & Staab, B. P. (2018). Effects of climate change on hydrology and water resources in the Blue Mountains, Oregon, USA. Climate Services, 10, 9-19. doi:10.1016/j.cliser.2018.03.001

Diffenbaugh, N. S., & Burke, M. (2019). Global warming has increased global economic inequality. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(20), 9808-9813. doi:10.1073/pnas.1816020116

Ghaith, A. F., & Epplin, F. M. (2017). Consequences of a carbon tax on household electricity use and cost, carbon emissions, and economics of household solar and wind. Energy Economics, 67, 159-168. doi:10.1016/j.eneco.2017.08.012