Scientists have proposed many scenarios where climate change may have drastic effects on our environments. One scenario proposed by Schwartz and Randall is characterized by some of the following conditions: a drop in temperature over Asia and North America; an average temperature increase in Australia, South America and southern Africa; the increase of drought in popular agricultural regions; and an increase in winter storms and wind intensity around the North Pacific.[1] These effects will ultimately lead to constraints such as a decrease in agricultural production; decrease in fresh water due to droughts and floods; and disrupted access to energy supplies.[2] Although Schwartz and Randall’s scenario may focus specifically on the implications of climate change on the United States, their report also considers the effects climate change may have on other global areas, such as the Pacific.
[1] Schwartz, P and Randall, D. 2003. An Abrupt Climate Change Scenario and Its Implications for United States National Security.
[2]Ibid, 2.