A team of international scientists has predicted a grim future for United States and Canada saying rising temperatures in the region would have a devastating effect leading to severe heat waves in the region.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) revealed that global warming will increase the environmental imbalance in the region which will lead to more number of heat waves, droughts, floods as well as infections and deaths.
The panel also predicted a rise in the number of heat wave days in Los Angeles at an average rate of 12 days per year, while Chicago will experience a rise in the number of heat wave days by 25 percent. The report adds that regions such as Southwest, California, Alaska, and the Atlantic and Gulf coasts will be the most affected by global warming.
The only way to stop this effect will be for the governments to act on climate change. But the report warns that any changes will depend on how quickly and efficiently the government acts on global warming. "Without increased investments in countermeasures, hot temperatures and extreme weather are likely to cause increased adverse health impacts", the report said.
Patrick Kinney, associate professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University, said that global warming will lead to the formation of smog, which in turn will lead to adverse health effects.
"Ozone occurs more rapidly at higher temperatures, and emissions of the pollutants that form ozone can go up. Just due to climate change, we expect ozone to get a little bit worse. That should have adverse consequences for human health", he added.
Global warming is dominating American environmental fear on a large scale these days as many states are contemplating legislation to limit greenhouse gas emissions. California is leading this race with Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger already revealing that he wants to cut down the state's greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent in the next 15 years.
