Harold W. Bernard Jr.

The greenhouse effect—an atmospheric warming phenomenon— is a real and looming threat, according to many experts and scientists. In the following viewpoint, Harold W. Bernard Jr. predicts that greenhouse warming in America will be felt first and most seriously in the Midwest, the nation’s primary grain- producing region. Bernard is concerned that increasing temperature and decreasing precipitation will cause severe agricultural and livestock losses annually. Bernard is a meteorologist with DBS Associates, meteorological consultants in Atlanta.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to NASA, as cited by Bernard, what are the probabilities of hot summers in future decades?
2. Why is the author concerned about groundwater in the Midwest?
3. What does Bernard believe the economic consequences of

Nowhere is the greenhouse effect...