The world’s ecosystem is a delicate balance of millions and millions of elements. The slightest change to one of those elements and a domino effect is created, forcing change to occur until a new balance can be found. Global warming has been forcing change upon our ecosystem for many years and we are now beginning to experience the effects of these changes. Industries such as fishing, farming and mining, all examples of primary activities, both contribute to and are subsequently affected by global warming, sending our world into a slow, but constant, downward spiral. Even though scientists and environmental experts fear for the future of our world, many people believe that little is being done to prevent further damage caused by global warming.
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Global warming effects caused by human activity
Data shared in the Fifth Assessment Report undertaken by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), parts of which have been released by The Guardian, reconfirms that the two main culprits behind climate change and global warming are greenhouse gases and human activity. Mining and oil extraction are two examples of primary economic activities that we continue to fund, knowing that these activities are slowly contributing to global warming. Mining and oil extraction mean big business. Countries rich in oil rely on the economic investment which comes from oil trade. We use it to live, travel and make a wide range of products. As human activity continues to contribute to global warming, concerns about the future of the planet heighten.
Primary economic activities affected by global warming
While primary economic activities, such as mining and oil extraction, contribute to global warming, other primary activities, including forestry, agriculture and fishing, suffer from it. As the earth heats up and the ice caps continue to melt, sea levels rise. If changes to sea levels continues, economies which have always relied on the fishing industry as a source of income may find that they are no longer able to fish. Similarly, as temperatures rise in certain parts of the world, the growing and exportation of particular crops might no longer be possible. Plants need to grow under particular temperature conditions. Global warming has a knock-on effect on farming and forestry because certain species simply cannot continue to grow. This means that many economies are going to suffer in the future and radical changes to the way of life that people have lived for centuries will be an inevitable uphill struggle.
Concerns raised by scientists and environmental groups
Aside from the economic effects of global warming on primary activities, scientists and environmental groups are concerned for the welfare of fauna and flora as we experience more and more global warming by the day. The levels of carbon dioxide produced on earth is counteracted naturally by the plants and trees that we have around us as the carbon dioxide is converted into oxygen. Deforestation is a huge global issue. The more we continue to cut down our trees, the more we contribute to global warming. As our plant life is destroyed, due to rising temperatures or deforestation, many species of animals and insects lose their habitats. Rising temperatures in our waters also means that some fish species, reliant on optimum temperatures for survival, are also in danger. The risk of extinction is forever present and the impending fear of an imbalance in the ecosystem that this generates is worrying.
Effects of global warming on the trade industry
International trade is, in some ways, based on the simple fact that some countries can grow certain products and other countries can’t. The environmental conditions deeply affect agriculture and international trade. Global warming presents us with a huge potential economic threat. Farmers and fisherman would be hit particularly hard should their environmental conditions change. For many people, who come from a family line of agriculture, this financial fear is a real and constant concern.
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