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Extreme Weather Takes Toll on U.S. Infrastructure
From food production to electricity generation, the recent spate
of extreme weather is taking a toll on U.S. infrastructure, affecting communities on the home front and countries abroad.
The United States is in the midst of the worst drought since
1956, according to the National Climatic Data Center. According to the center, 55 percent of the
United States is experiencing some form of moderate to extreme drought,
which is expected to continue for much of the year and is already affecting
corn, soybean and other agricultural harvests. On Wednesday, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture reported that U.S. consumers could expect to pay 3
to 4 percent more for groceries next year as a result of agricultural decline.
The U.S. agricultural forecast could be particularly damming
for global food prices and countries that rely heavily on agricultural imports.
America is still considered the world’s breadbasket, and agricultural decline in
the United States may lead to price spikes in countries abroad, particularly in
developing countries that rely increasingly on agricultural imports, according to
the UN’s Food and
Agriculture Organization. This could worsen food trends (e.g. famine and malnutrition)
in these countries as families are forced to spend a higher percentage of their
income on groceries, and may, in some places, exacerbate existing social
grievances and provoke violence.
www.cnas.org
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