Global Warming in the South
©Jim Waite
The Southeast is blessed with beautiful coastlines, majestic mountains, rich forests, healthy wetlands, abundant wildlife and vibrant communities. But global climate change threatens the future of these resources in new and troubling ways.
The effects of climate change could be far-reaching; from sea-level impacts to changes in precipitation, climate change could well alter the makeup of entire ecosystems across our region. In the process, our economies, our natural resources and our health are at stake.
Among other impacts, a rise in the earth's temperature is expected to melt the polar ice caps and cause a rise in our our ocean levels.This rise will not only damage the region's wetlands and marshes, but will also compromise the important function these areas now fulfill such as flood and erosion control and improved water quality. Changes to our region's waters, in turn, will affect our region's thriving fishing and tourism industries.
Rising temperatures will also affect our region's forests and agriculture, as these systems struggle to survive in an increasingly warm environment with change in precipitation. Climate change may also have health related impacts - for example, it may increase the number of heat-related deaths each year.
SELC has been working for 20 years in the Southeast to reduce air pollution, specifically from tailpipes and smokestacks, the two main sources of greenhouse gases in the U.S. At the same time SELC has actively been involved in restoring and protecting our forests, as well as our coasts and wetlands to ensure they continue to provide environmental, economic, and recreational benefits. With the South undergoing explosive growth, and climate change a growing problem, our work is more important than ever.
>> Learn more about SELC's Healthy Air Program
>> Learn more about SELC's Land & Community Program
