More people are starving than ever before. Climate zones have shifted, so some new areas have become available for agriculture Alaska, the Arctic , while others have dried up Mexico, California. Still others are unstable because of the extreme heat, never mind flooding, wildfire, and tornadoes. Global trade has slowed as countries such as China stop exporting and seek to hold on to their own resources.
Disasters and wars rage, choking off trade routes. The tyranny of supply and demand is now unforgiving; because of its increasing scarcity, food can now be wildly expensive. Income inequality has never been this stark or this dangerous. Desperate people will always find a way.
Ever since the equatorial belt started to become difficult to inhabit, an unending stream of migrants has been moving north from Central America toward Mexico and the United States. Others are moving south toward the tips of Chile and Argentina. The same scenes are playing out across Europe and Asia.
Some countries have been better global Good Samaritans than others, but even they have now effectively shut their borders, their wallets, and their eyes.
Even if you live in areas with more temperate climates such as Canada and Scandinavia, you are still extremely vulnerable. Severe tornadoes, flash floods, wildfires, mudslides, and blizzards are often in the back of your mind. Depending on where you live, you have a fully stocked storm cellar, an emergency go-bag in your car, or a six-foot fire moat around your house.
People are glued to weather forecasts. Only the foolhardy shut their phones off at night. If an emergency hits, you may only have minutes to respond. Under increasing pressure from public health officials, news organizations have decreased the number of stories devoted to genocide, slave trading, and refugee virus outbreaks. You can no longer trust the news.
Social media, long the grim source of live feeds and disaster reporting, is brimming with conspiracy theories and doctored videos. The demise of the human species is being discussed more and more. Contact us at letters time. Alfred A. TIME Ideas hosts the world's leading voices, providing commentary on events in news, society, and culture.
We welcome outside contributions. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas pollution leads to more frequent and intense heat waves that increase mortality, especially among the poor and elderly.
Other effects of greenhouse gas pollution noted in the scientific literature include ocean acidification, sea level rise and increased storm surge, harm to agriculture and forests, species extinctions and ecosystem damage.
The U. Those most vulnerable to climate related health effects - such as children, the elderly, the poor, and future generations - face disproportionate risks.
Studies also find that climate change poses particular threats to the health, well-being, and ways of life of indigenous peoples in the U. The National Research Council NRC and other scientific bodies have emphasized that it is important to take initial steps to reduce greenhouse gases without delay because, once emitted, greenhouse gases persist in the atmosphere for long time periods.
Under the Clean Air Act, EPA is taking initial common sense steps to limit greenhouse gas pollution from large sources:. EPA and the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration between and issued the first national greenhouse gas emission standards and fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks for model years , and for medium- and heavy-duty trucks for Proposed truck standards for and beyond were announced in June EPA is also responsible for developing and implementing regulations to ensure that transportation fuel sold in the United States contains a minimum volume of renewable fuel.
Learn more about clean vehicles. EPA and states in began requiring preconstruction permits that limit greenhouse gas emissions from large new stationary sources - such as power plants, refineries, cement plants, and steel mills - when they are built or undergo major modification.
Learn more about GHG permitting. This partnership is laid out in the Clean Power Plan. EPA firmly believes the Clean Power Plan will be upheld when the merits are considered because the rule rests on strong scientific and legal foundations. In January EPA announced a new goal to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 40 — 45 percent from levels by , and a set of actions by EPA and other agencies to put the U. In August , EPA proposed new common-sense measures to cut methane emissions, reduce smog-forming air pollution and provide certainty for industry through proposed rules for the oil and gas industry.
The agency also proposed to further reduce emissions of methane-rich gas from municipal solid waste landfills. EPA in July finalized a rule to prohibit certain uses of hydrofluorocarbons -- a class of potent greenhouse gases used in air conditioning, refrigeration and other equipment -- in favor of safer alternatives.
While overall emissions of air toxics have declined significantly since , substantial quantities of toxic pollutants continue to be released into the air. Elevated risks can occur in urban areas, near industrial facilities, and in areas with high transportation emissions. Hazardous air pollutants, also called air toxics, include pollutants listed in the Clean Air Act. EPA can add pollutants that are known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects, such as reproductive effects or birth defects, or to cause adverse environmental effects.
Examples of air toxics include benzene, which is found in gasoline; perchloroethylene, which is emitted from some dry cleaning facilities; and methylene chloride, which is used as a solvent and paint stripper by a number of industries.
Other examples of air toxics include dioxin, asbestos, and metals such as cadmium, mercury, chromium, and lead compounds. Numerous categories of stationary sources emit air toxics, including power plants, chemical manufacturing, aerospace manufacturing and steel mills. Some air toxics are released in large amounts from natural sources such as forest fires. Since that assessment, EPA standards have required significant further reductions in toxic emissions.
Benzene and formaldehyde are two of the biggest cancer risk drivers, and acrolein tends to dominate non-cancer risks. EPA standards based on technology performance have been successful in achieving large reductions in national emissions of air toxics. As directed by Congress, EPA has completed emissions standards for all major source categories, and 68 categories of small area sources representing 90 percent of emissions of 30 priority pollutants for urban areas.
In addition, EPA has reduced the benzene content in gasoline, and has established stringent emission standards for on-road and nonroad diesel and gasoline engine emissions that significantly reduce emissions of mobile source air toxics. As required by the Act, EPA has completed residual risk assessments and technology reviews covering numerous regulated source categories to assess whether more protective air toxics standards are warranted.
EPA has updated standards as appropriate. Additional residual risk assessments and technology reviews are currently underway. As the biggest land-dwelling fish of them all, humans are at risk of seeing the food pyramid topple beneath them if pollution continues.
Practices like fracking may even sidestep the food chain altogether and directly contaminate our drinking water, as has latterly been confirmed in four US states. A new report suggests that the practice could cause greater levels of soil pollution , too. Since the soil is the very foundation upon which we stand and upon which we depend to grow all of our crops, it might be an idea to take care of it.
If unchecked, soil pollution could lead to extinction of all types of life upon planet Earth… including us. With COP26 now on the cusp of reaching its conclusion, world leaders from all across the globe are putting the finishing touches to the collective agreemen Aramex a provider of logistics and transportation solutions, announce signing a commitment with the Science Based Target initiative SBTi to signif Since , Anguil has been a burgeoning leader in the global air and water pollution control markets.
In response to increased demand for its News section. Tackling microplastics in additives Oct 04 Shampoo ingredient could wash diesel out of soil Dec 23 Aramex doubles down on efforts to reduce greenhouse Modelling of Pollutants in Complex Environmental Sys Medical Waste Incinerator company launches online in USD 6. Related stories Aramex doubles down on efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by committing to the Science Based Targets Initiative. Anguil is thrilled to announce the official inauguration of the Anguil Environmental Systems Private Ltd headquarters in India.
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