Observation One: Current efforts to protect transportation infrastructure from climate change are inadequate
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- Federal investment in transportation infrastructure is critical to trade
Advantage __ TradeEven small changes in climate will have serious implications for the transportation sector and global tradeWorld Trade Organization and United Nations Environment Programme ’09 [WTO and UNEP, “Trade and Climate Change”, 2009, WTO and UNEP, http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/trade_climate_change_e.pdf, AD] As greenhouse gas emissions and temperatures increase, the impacts from climate change are expected to become more widespread and to intensify. For example, even with small increases in average temperature, the type, frequency and intensity of extreme weather – such as hurricanes, typhoons, fl oods, droughts, and storms – are projected to increase. Th e distribution of these weather events, however, is expected to vary considerably among regions and countries, and impacts will depend to a large extent on the vulnerability of populations or ecosystems. Developing countries, and particularly the poorest and most marginalized populations within these countries, will generally be both the most adversely aff ected by the impacts of future climate change and the most vulnerable to its eff ects, because they are less able to adapt than developed countries and populations. In addition, climate change risks compound the other challenges which are already faced by these countries, including tackling poverty, improving health care, increasing food security and improving access to sources of energy. For instance, climate change is projected to lead to hundreds of millions of people having limited access to water supplies or facing inadequate water quality, which will, in turn, lead to greater health problems. Although the impacts of climate change are specifi c to location and to the level of development, most sectors of the global economy are expected to be affected and these impacts will often have implications for trade. For example, three trade-related areas are considered to be particularly vulnerable to climate change. Agriculture is considered to be one of the sectors most vulnerable to climate change, and also represents a key sector for international trade. In low-latitude regions, where most developing countries are located, reductions of about 5 to 10 per cent in the yields of major cereal crops are projected even in the case of small temperature increases of around 1° C. Although it is expected that local temperature increases of between 1° C and 3° C would have benefi cial impacts on agricultural outputs in mid- to high-latitude regions, warming beyond this range will most likely result in increasingly negative impacts for these regions also. According to some studies, crop yields in some African countries could fall by up to 50 per cent by 2020, with net revenues from crops falling by as much as 90 per cent by 2100. Depending on the location, agriculture will also be prone to water scarcity due to loss of glacial meltwater and reduced rainfall or droughts. Tourism is another industry that may be particularly vulnerable to climate change, for example, through changes in snow cover, coastal degradation and extreme weather. Both the fi sheries and forestry sectors also risk being adversely impacted by climate change. Likewise, ix Part IV Part III Part II Part I there are expected to be major impacts on coastal ecosystems, including the disappearance of coral and the loss of marine biodiversity. Finally, one of the clearest impacts will be on trade infrastructure and routes. The IPCC has identified port facilities, as well as buildings, roads, railways, airports and bridges, as being dangerously at risk of damage from rising sea levels and the increased occurrence of instances of extreme weather, such as fl ooding and hurricanes. Moreover, it is projected that changes in sea ice, particularly in the Arctic, will lead to the availability of new shipping routes. Federal investment in transportation infrastructure is critical to tradeFHA 02 (Federal Highway Administration, part of the US Department of Transportation “2002 Status of the Nation's Highways, Bridges, and Transit: Conditions & Performance” 11/24/02. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/2002cpr/pdf/ch12.pdf) America’s transportation system is the essential element facilitating the movement of goods and people within¶ the country. It forms the backbone of local, regional, national, and international trade, making most economic¶ activity critically dependent upon this resource. The Nation’s urban transportation systems have enabled the¶ growth of America’s cities, linking workers with employers, wholesalers with retailers, markets with buyers,¶ and residents with recreational and cultural facilities. The intercity transportation system helps bring America’s¶ cities, States, and regions together, linking farmers and manufacturers to markets, raw material suppliers to¶ processors, businesses to clients, and tourists to destinations.¶ These transportation functions are served by a wide variety of modes. Airways and airports provide rapid,¶ long-distance transportation services for travelers, mail, and freight. On the surface, freight moves by water,¶ rail, highways, and pipelines, while people move by passenger rail, buses, ferries, and private vehicles.¶ The surface transportation system serving the United States today reflects investment and location decisions¶ made by both governments and private enterprise since the beginning of the Nation. Early settlement and¶ transportation patterns were determined primarily by geography, with waterborne and horse-drawn¶ transportation the dominant modes. Over the years, improvements in vehicle technology, including¶ steamships, locomotives, automobiles, and airplanes, have greatly expanded both the speed and flexibility of¶ transportation movements, allowing economic activity to concentrate in cities and spread across the country.¶ Harnessing the potential of these technologies has required large investments in guideways and facilities,¶ including ports and canals, railroads and terminals, highways and bridges, and airports and airways. The¶ development of these facilities has also been greatly aided by advancements in bridge, tunnel, pavement,¶ building, and communications technologies.¶ The Federal government has played a key role throughout the country’s history in shaping the transportation¶ system, both in regulating interstate commerce and in funding and facilitating transportation improvements.¶ Examples of the latter include the construction of the National Road in the early 19¶ th¶ Century; the Pacific¶ Railroad Act of 1862; inland waterways built by the Army Corps of Engineers; the Federal-Aid Highway¶ Program and the Interstate Highway System of the 20¶ th¶ Century; and Federal assistance for mass transit¶ operators beginning in the 1960’s Directory: file -> view view -> Western Europe after wwii view -> Author study: paul fleischman view -> Qpa1 7ela study Guide view -> Arctic Oil/Gas Neg view -> November 1970 Approximately 150,000-500,000 deaths Bhola Cyclone Bangladesh view -> Grade Level: 6 Unit of Study: Caribbean glce view -> Citation: Duffield, Katy view -> Table of Contents Lesson # view -> Chinese Wind Energy Disad Download 1.03 Mb. 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