The Life-Altering Impacts of Climate Change: The Precipitous Decline of the Northeastern Sugar Maple and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative's Potential Solution
17 Pages Posted: 20 Oct 2008 Last revised: 29 Sep 2009
Date Written: 2008
Abstract
This article investigates the complex processes of climate change by highlighting the devastating consequences of climatic disturbances on the northeastern sugar maple. The article then analyzes the economic impact of climate change to illustrate the importance of curbing carbon emissions to prevent the loss of the sugar maple and other northeastern species. The article next provides a detailed background on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which is the first regional cap and trade system in the United States and aims to reduce carbon emissions in the northeast. The article concludes by assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the RGGI as a long-term solution to climate change and by answering the question of whether this system should serve as a model for future cap and trade systems in the United States.
Keywords: Climate change, species extinction, sugar maple, cap and trade, RGGI, carbon emissions
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