bi. Summary
During the first virtual meeting, we have discussed the problems, causes and consequences of climate changes in Hong Kong, Atlanta and Xian. 
 
First, the common problem among us is the warming trend has been exacerbated that extreme precipitation and hot days have become more frequent, while extremely cold days have decreased rapidly. According to our discussion, local urbanization contributed to the phenomenon as human activities have led to changes in atmosphere’s composition. For example, the frequent use of air conditioners and boosting rate of private cars have caused an increased in burning of fossil fuels and emission of carbon dioxide. Due to the fact that there is a significant raise in atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases, extra heat was being trapped on Earth which become a global climate change issue among us. 
 
Apart from global warming, notorious air quality has been discussed. Due to rapid industrialization and urbanization, air pollution has become more severe, especially in Xian. In fact, heavy reliance on coal for both residential and industrial uses is one of the factors. Moreover, emission from vehicles on roads are major sources of pollutants and fine particles in the air. It is a tough situation in different cities, not to mention Xian which is a city surrounded by mountains. As Xian was sheltered from strong winds and heavy rains, the geographical location leads to slow dispersion of air pollutants. Hence, air pollution in Xian is more significant and was further exacerbating human’s respiratory system.
 
Attribute to the above issues, environmental, health and financial consequences become more momentous. 
 
From the environmental perspective, a general rise in temperature has led to problems like more frequent heat waves and change in precipitation. Although the increased rainfall has benefited Xian’s agricultural production, frequent heavy rain is annoying sometimes due to the flood and immature drainage system. Hence, reduction in agricultural production might happen as well. Apart from that, the boosting precipitation has caused the rise of sea level. Take Hong Kong as an example, the sea level of Victoria Harbor has been increasing at an average rate of 2.3 millimeters per year. Since there is a chance of coastal sea flooding, long-term sea level rise should be taken into consideration. Also, the visibility would be affected by poor air quality. 
 
From the health perspective, the frequent and severe heat waves is likely to increase cardiorespiratory illness and heat-related mortality predominantly. Besides, the raising temperature create a favorable condition for mosquitoes, bacteria and micro-organisms. Thus, the risk of mosquito-borne, food-borne and water-borne diseases, like dengue fever and food poisoning, might increase. Furthermore, fine particles and pollutants breathed into human’s body might harm our respiratory system. 
 
From the financial perspective, citizens who often turn on air conditioner has to pay higher costs. On the other hand, tourism is one of the economic boosters. However, cities where are well-known in poor air quality may be less attractive for tourists to visit. Therefore, the decline in tourists could jeopardize cities’ economy.
 
To conclude, the most common climate change issues and correlated causes and consequences have been discussed thoroughly. Since global warming and notorious air quality have long-term negative impact towards human, their effects on our lifestyle and alternatives to alleviate the problems should be discussed in the upcoming meeting.

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