When you talk about global warming, the most common thoughts you’d conjure are worst case scenarios. And that’s not surprising, considering how the effects of climate change have been felt by almost everyone in the world in recent years. More intense and frequent tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, forest fires, droughts, and heat waves make the headlines almost regularly. Indeed, it seems the future of Earth is a grim one.
However, no matter how dire any situation may seem, there will always be positive points. So even if global warming is an inevitable occurrence, there can still be some pros that go with the cons.
List of Pros of the Global Warming Worst Case Scenario
1. It opens new opportunities for tourism.
Most people who go on vacation would prefer visiting places with warmer climates. Regions in the colder hemisphere can get better chances of gaining tourists since their local temperatures will be warmer as an effect of climate change. This means places like Canada, Greenland, and the Arctic can have a busier tourism industry.
2. It allows farmers to enjoy longer growing seasons.
If the climate becomes warmer there will be less days of cold weather. Aside from that, many parts of the world can get more precipitation and richer atmospheres containing more CO2 for plants. This can result in better yields and more diversified crops, and farmers can enjoy more months for planting and harvesting.
3. It gives solar powered homes and buildings more free energy.
Those that use solar panels for their power consumption can get more heat from the sun, which means more energy to store and use for free, and more savings on electric bills.
4. It decreases the number of deaths during winter.
Cold weather can be harsh, especially for the young, elderly, and very sick. Global warming can make winters less extreme, thus decreasing the number of casualties during cold months.
5. It changes the geography of colder regions.
Frozen regions like Siberia, the Arctic, and the Antarctic can experience milder climates and more vegetation as climate change melts the ice.
List of Cons of the Global Warming Worst Case Scenario
1. It damages the environment.
As mentioned in the introduction, natural disasters are becoming more extreme and frequent due to global warming. The oceans are more acidic, more forests are damaged due to drought, acid rain, and forest fires, water formations are drying up, and river banks and seashores are vanishing.
2. It destroys habitats.
Because of the environmental changes, species are also losing their homes and source of food. Some animals and plants are even nearing extinction or have become extinct already. Even human beings are not spared as those living in coastal areas, deserts, rain forests, river banks, and areas prone to natural disasters need to find new places to live due to the destruction of their homes or the endangerment of their lives.
3. It can lead to mass migration.
Since more habitats are destroyed, more animals and people need to migrate. This can result in the overcrowding of human settlements and the unnatural and unscheduled migration of animals to other regions.
4. It causes more health problems and deaths.
One of worst case scenarios of global warming is the shortage of food, resulting in sickness and deaths of a large number of the population of all living things. Furthermore, since humans will live in overpopulated settlements, the spread of disease and infection can be faster and more widespread. Aside from that, climate change has increased the number of death cases involving heat stroke, respiratory problems, and other conditions caused by pollution and extreme temperatures.
5. It destroys the Earth for future generations.
With the consistent increase of temperatures, can you imagine how hot and badly damaged the planet would be 30 or 50 years from now? What kind of environment would your children and grandchildren live in? If the global warming worst case scenarios come true, then future generations will surely not have a positive image to look forward to.
No matter how much you try to see the advantages of climate change, the fact is that it is a real problem with overwhelming disadvantages.