9 Impacts and Environmental Challenges On National-Level
- Introduction
U.S. Roles and Responsibilities in Global Climate Change
Current Status of Carbon Emissions and Their Environmental Health Implications
Research Goal: Analyzing Policy Effectiveness and Public Health Challenges
- Positioning the United States in the Global Context
Comparison of Major Emitting Countries and U.S. Emissions Structure
U.S. Role in International Climate Finance
III. Environmental Health Impacts at the National Level
NOAA. (2023). Ocean Acidification and Fisheries Impact. Retrieved from www.noaa.gov
Environmental Systems
Impacts of Wildfires, Sea Level Rise, and Ocean Acidification
Public Health
Extreme Heat, Air Pollution, and Related Diseases
Socio-economic
Agricultural Belt Change and Climate Migration
- Policy Responses and Regulatory Framework
Federal level: climate-related laws, EPA regulatory authority, financial incentives
State level actions: renewable energy and environmental policies in different states
Policy Gaps: Adaptive Infrastructure and Long-Term Planning
- Typical Case Study: Great Lakes Region
Climate Change Impacts on Water Quality and Ecosystems
Cross-State Collaboration Mechanisms and Governance Challenges
Body draft for first part
as the world’s second largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs), The United States plays an important role in the global climate change process. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), carbon emissions in the U.S. come primarily from energy production, industry, transportation, and agriculture, with fossil fuel combustion alligators (EPA, 2023). Despite policy adjustments in recent years, such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which provides financial support for renewable energy, challenges at the national level remain significant, including the frequency of extreme events, the intensification of public health crises, and the difficulty of interstate weather policy coordination.
Environmental Health Impacts of Climate Change
Extreme weather events pose a direct threat to U.S. public health. For example, in recent years, wildfire seasons in the western U.S. have lengthened significantly, and air quality in California and Oregon has declined, leading to an increase in cases of respiratory and cardiovascular disease (USGCRP, 2023). Additionally, the National Climate Assessment (NCA) states that rising average temperatures in the U.S. have led to associated temperature increases, especially among infectious diseases and low-income communities (CDC, 2022).
Climate change also affects water security in the United States. Sea level rise in the Gulf of Mexico has led to higher storm surge risks for coastal cities, while increased acidification of seawater in the Caribbean and Florida regions is affecting fishing livelihoods (NOAA, 2023). In the Great Lakes region, recent rises have promoted outbreaks of fish cyanobacteria (HABs), making floodwater treatment more costly and posing a threat to community health (EPA, 2022).
National Policy Challenges and Future Outlook
At the federal level, EPA and the Department of Energy (DOE) have pushed for clean energy investments in recent years, but climate policy still faces resistance at the legislative level. For example, in West Virginia v. EPA, a preliminary U.S. ruling restricting EPA’s authority to regulate carbon emissions from the electric power sector makes future push for climate regulations inevitable (SCOTUS, 2022).Meanwhile, some state governments are taking aggressive action, such as California setting a goal of a total ban on fuel-vehicle sales by 2035, and Texas relying on wind energy to grow into one of the largest renewable energy producing states in the nation (ERCOT, 2023).
References(updating)
CDC. (2022). Heat-Related Illness and Mortality. Retrieved from www.cdc.gov
EPA. (2023). Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report. Retrieved from www.epa.gov
NOAA. (2023). Ocean Acidification and Fisheries Impact. Retrieved from www.noaa.gov
USGCRP. (2023). The Fifth National Climate Assessment. Retrieved from www.globalchange.gov
SCOTUS. (2022). West Virginia v. EPA Decision. Retrieved from www.supremecourt.gov