(c) Maximum 6 points total: 2 points for listing and describing ONE economic
consequence, 2 points for listing and describing ONE human health
consequence, and 2 points for listing and describing ONE environmental
consequence.
List AND describe ONE economic consequence of climate change, ONE
human health consequence of climate change, and ONE environmental
consequence of climate change.
Examples and explanations will vary for each of these consequences.
Students should recognize that consequences do not necessarily have to be
positive or negative, but they must correctly describe the consequence
category (i.e., the economic consequence must be related to relevant topics
like jobs or money spent/earned, and the human health consequence must
be related to humans, not other species or the loss of their habitat).
Examples of economic consequences:
■ Due to the sea level rise that results from climate change and the loss
of land ice/thermal expansion, coastal residents and businesses may
need to redirect funds to pay for the construction of ocean defense
mechanisms, including barriers, new roads, and other modifications to
infrastructure.
■ Due to increases in drought frequency, yields from agriculture will
decrease, putting farmers at risk financially.Examples of human health consequences:
■ Due to increases in average annual temperatures, the risk of mosquito-
borne illnesses will spread to higher latitudes and affect those
populations.
■ Due to increases in the frequency of heat waves, human populations
will be exposed to prolonged periods of warmer-than-normal
temperatures, which will place elderly segments of the population at
an increased risk.Examples of environmental consequences:
■ Due to warmer temperatures, organisms that migrate risk missing
important food sources due to earlier-than-normal or later-than-normal