Alpine regions are areas situated at high altitudes; beyond the alpine tree line (the critical line beyond which conditions does not remain habitable for trees).  As warm air ascend to high altitudes (due to low density), it expands and cools down. Because of this the alpine areas sustain a relatively low temperature. Famous alpine areas include those of Europe, Utah and Australia etc.

Global Warming is currently the biggest environmental threat to the planet. It refers to the steady increase in the average temperature of Earth due to excessive production of carbon dioxide and green house gases. A possible (no surety can be given as weather is a very chaotic system but so far all the scientists agree on this) consequence of this will be a major climate shift, on global level.

Alpine areas, due to their high altitude, will be the first victims of global warming (particularly the Alps of Australia). Environmental scientists are trying to simulate, how alpine areas will be react to the climate shifts. A number of experiments and studies have been carried for this purpose.

Here are a few consequences the alpine regions will suffer because of the global warming:
Changing temperature will result in change in the mountain ecosystem as biological systems which cannot sustain the climatic condition tend to move to more suitable place. While those systems which are unable to move will ultimately die out causing loss in the biological diversity. More than 279 species of plants are already responding to global warming in various alpine regions and by 2050 (note that this is within the average life time of many people alive today) more than one million species of plants and animal will be lost if the condition continue to get bad. In other words, the entire ecosystem will be at risk with vacuums in the food chain.

Due to increase in the global temperature, the frequency of heat waves will also increase which means that wild forest fires will be more frequent. Adding a good share to the above mentioned point.

Global warming will not only affect the ecology of the alpine region but will also affect its economy. Due to their snowy environment of these regions, the tourism industry is the basic pillar holding the economy of these areas. Due to the increase in global climate, the snow season don’t last as long as it used, which is affects the tourism business within the alpine regions.  Due to which they have to resort to artificial methods of making snow which in tern also adds a big share to global warming because of the high power and water consumption.

Global warming is on its way to become a global climatic catastrophe, be ready to see a new Earth if nothing is done about it.

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