The Effects of Global Warming

Global warming is not just about the climate changing. Global warming is effecting our economy, our health, and our environment in a variety of negative ways.

If we don't take an aggressive approach to global warming, the results will be disastrous for the entire globe.

Our atmosphere has become overloaded with deadly carbon dioxide and our climate has undergone large-scale transformations. No longer are we witnessing the gradual temperature fluctuations that we have seen in the past. Over the last 50 years, the average temparture across the globe has risen at the highest rate in recorded history.

It has been estimated that unless we manage to curb the emissions that cause climate change, average temperatures throughout the United States could be anywhere from 3 to 9 degrees higher by the end of this century.

One thing scientists all agree on is that global warming is an issue we as humans have created for ourselves, and we alone are responsible for reversing these dangerous weather changes.

The biggest and most obvious effects of global warming are happening to our planet's weather patterns. Rising sea levels, melting ice caps, increasing temperatures, stronger storms, more severe and longer lasting droughts are just the tip of the iceberg.

If global warming continues to grow at the same rate as we have seen it progress over the past few decades, these programs will only become worse.

We will see more wildfires that will be harder to get under control, droughts will grow in length and intensity, hurricanes will become devastatingly strong, washing away cities, and temperatures will become physically unbearable throughout large regions of the globe.

A dangerous effect of global warming that we can not witness through the weather is the impact that climate change has on our health. Unfortunately, these unseen consequences are having a negative effect on our quality of life, today, and unless we do something, these health problems will only worsen.

Negative health consequences caused and/or perpetuated by global warming include:

• An increased number of heat strokes
• More severe and more frequent cases of asthma
• More intense allergies
• A faster spread of infectious diseases
• A higher outbreak in foodborne illnesses
• Lung diseases will increase as air quality worsens

Global warming isn't something that is going to happen, it is something that is already happening, effecting our climate on a daily basis.

Here are some of the impacts we are already seeing as a result of climate change:

• The polar caps on both the north and south pole are melting
• Penguins are dying at a much faster rate on Antarctica
• Sea levels are rising at a faster and faster rate
• Some species are starting to migrate to new environments
• Rain and snowfall has increased all across the globe, as have droughts
• Spruce bark beetles, which consume trees at a massive rate, have shot up in numbers

These are just some of the many effects that climate change is already causing, and this list will only continue to grow.

One of the biggest concerns of global warming is the effect that climate change is having on sea levels. Because of rising temperatures, ice caps are melting at an alarming rate.

This increase in the melting of ice caps is causing a rise in sea levels at a rate that scientists never saw coming. Already, the flow of the Colorado has increased sixfold.

Scientists have made projections that by 2100, sea levels can be 20 feet higher than they are today. If this happens, low lying cities like Miami and New York City will become submerged completely.

Just in the past century, glaciers in Montana's Glacier National Park have deteriorated from 150 to just 35.

The Himalayan glaciers, responsible for supplying water to 500 million people, are decreasing by 40 yards each year.

Scientists and meteorologists have done extensive research on both current and future consequences of global warming and climate change. Here is a list of potential consequences of global warming if we don't change things quickly:

• We can see a rise in sea levels anywhere from 7 to 23 inches by the end of the 21st century (an additional 4 to 8 inches could be added to that number due to the melting of ice caps)
• Storms from hurricanes to blizzards will become stronger and more devastating
• Species that rely on other species will start to become out of sync
• Floods and droughts will increase in frequency
• The amount of available fresh water will decrease
• Diseases like malaria will increase
• Some diseases will spread, such as malaria carried by mosquitoes

These are just some of the many potential consequences that can result from global warming if things don't change.

Scientists report that this has been the warmest decade on record since 1880. In 2010, the average global temperature was recorded as the second highest in history, ranked right below 2005.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said that if we don't make any changes, the earth could heat up by an additional 7.2 degrees on average across the globe during the 21st century.

So what can we do to reverse these negative consequences that we as humans have created? How can we ensure a better future for our children, and our children's children?

Although scientists report that drastic changes must be made in order for us to see a reverse in the effects of global warming, there are things we each can do to help.

First, experts recommend that we reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, like coal and oil. The next recommendation, which everyone should do, is recycle properly. The next action we can all take is by replacing the lightbulbs in our homes with compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Scientists and experts on global warming also recommend such actions as planting more trees, using less water, replacing appliances with energy efficient appliances, driving less, and reducing our reliance on air conditioning and heating.