Question

what health and economic problems are affected the most by environmental issues in the United States and how the government could contribute to change the current situation?

include the background, motivation, research questions, model, and expected results

Answer 1

Current Environmental Issues: Environment plays a crucial role in the sustainability of life on earth. All the living beings residing on the planet earth need a healthy, clean and better environment for increased adaptability and enhanced survival chances.

The first environmental issue affecting North America is soil pollution. Soil pollution is a serious environmental issue in many American states today.

• Huge industrialization and man intervened activities as a spray of various chemicals to kill pests and herbs could leach out into the soil resulting in raised levels of toxic agents and chemicals in soil.
• Soil contamination may not only negatively affect the health of people residing in the vicinity but also result in weak plants growth for the future due to a decline in the level of soil fertility.
• Numerous cases of diseases caused to people as a result of soil pollution have been reported in several regions of the US such as New Jersey, Tennessee, Montana, and so on.
• The situation seems better specifically in the US with decreased mortality rate due to air contamination.
• California is considered the most air-polluted state of the US having many cities considered the uppermost in poor quality of air. This sub-standard air result in serious air passageway illnesses in human beings including respiratory complications, behavioral changes, cancer, and even premature death.

Environmental issues in the United States include climate change, energy, species conservation, invasive species, deforestation, mining, nuclear accidents, pesticides, pollution, waste and over-population. Despite taking hundreds of measures, the rate of environmental issues is increasing rapidly instead of reducing.

Climate change in the United States refers to historical changes in the climate of the United States, as well as the regional climactic, economic, and cultural responses to global warming.

The current effects of global warming in the United States are widespread and varied. In 2012, the United States experienced its warmest year on record. As of 2012, the thirteen warmest years for the entire planet have all occurred since 1998, transcending those from 1880.^[2][3] Different regions experience widely different climatic changes. Changes in climate in the regions of the United States appear significant. Many plant and animal species became extinct in North America soon after first human arrival, including the North American megafauna; others have become nearly extinct since European settlement, among them.

Nuclear safety in the United States is governed by federal regulations and continues to be studied by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The safety of nuclear plants and materials controlled by the U.S. government for research and weapons production, as well those powering naval vessels, is not governed by the NRC.

Beginning in the 1960s, Americans became increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of industrial growth. Engine exhaust from growing numbers of automobiles, for instance, was blamed for smog and other forms of air pollution in large cities. Pollution represented what economists call an externality—a cost that the responsible entity can escape but that society as a whole must bear. With market forces unable to address such problems, many environmentalists suggested that the government had a moral obligation to protect the earth's fragile ecosystems, even if doing so required some economic growth to be sacrificed. In response, a slew of laws was enacted to control pollution, including examples such as the 1963 Clean Air Act, the 1972 Clean Water Act, and the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act.