Global Warming Effects
If you have read the other pages on this site you will now be well aware of what global warming is and also what the greenhouse effect is that causes it. On this page though we are going to discuss the effects of global warming as these are the issues that can and do effect our planet, as well as everything that lives on it. We are going to cover all the key global warming effects and consequences, and will be explaining the real and potential dangers that they pose to the environment. Furthermore, we have a section devoted to global warming and it's effects on animals.
What are the effects of global warming?
First of all we are going to answer the question 'what are the effects of global warming?', by providing you with a list of these. Global warming is an issue that can and will effect people in every corner of the world. Some people may wonder whether all of the effects of global warming are negative because they live in a region that has seen warmer weather throughout usually colder times of the year, well for them this may not be so bad but there are millions of people in other areas who are experiencing drought and famine for the very same reason.
Rise in global temperatures
This is essentially what global warming is and it is caused by the greenhouse effect. A rise in global temperatures have shown the 10 warmest years on record all since 1997, this is a fact because it is a true statistic. Rising temperatures have an impact on people and the planet and the global warming effects listed below highlight this.
The melting of the polar icecaps
As far as the consequences of global warming go, this is perhaps one of the most synonymous with the issue. With the icecaps melting there is more and more water melting into the seas and oceans causing their levels to rise. This will also have a negative effect on ecosystems that rely on salt water because the masses of water being added from the icecaps is fresh and will therefore dilute the saltiness. This could have an effect on food supply for people with fish and other marine life in those ecosystems dieing. Furthermore, this will also disrupt ocean currents that have a massive effect on regulating global temperatures and weather systems.
With the polar icecaps melting this will leave species that currently live there homeless, or all battling it out to live off what is left there, it will be survival of the fittest but the obvious global warming effect here is that many will be forced to die out.
One of the most tragic effects of global warming from the melting of the polar icecaps is the fact that it is accelerating the process as a whole. The reason for this is that the color of the snowy and icy landscape there is white, when the sun shines down on this color it is reflected back out through the atmosphere, preventing the earth from being warmed even further. Without this huge white land mass we are left with either land or ocean water that are both darker in color and will absorb the sunlight instead of reflecting it. This has the opposite effect and will enhance the warming of the earth.
Sea levels rising
This global warming effect is a result of the polar icecaps melting. It is a fact that the sea levels have been rising and that the mass of the polar icecaps has significantly reduced over the last century. With coastal areas taking a battering this means flooding occurs, people are left homeless, there are huge costs due to damages and ultimately there is less land across the globe for a growing human race to live on. The seven billionth person in the world was born this week and that number is expected to have spiraled to over ten billion by 2050.
Huge economical impacts
When you think about the physical effects of global warming such as the rising in sea levels and the spread of disease, do you consider the cost of these in monetary terms? When extreme weather hits it causes billions of dollars worth of damage, it destroys communities, and it can literally wash away peoples and even countrys livelihoods. When disease spreads it has to be treated, vaccines and medicines all cost a lot of money. As global warming effects increase and worsen, so will the size of the impact that they have on the global economy, which let's face it is hardly in tip top shape as it is.
Disease will spread
With global temperatures rising, disease carrying insects are going to be able to migrate to populous regions such as Europe and North America, a prime example of this is the malaria carrying mosquito. At present this disease is only found in more temperate areas of the world such as Asia, South America and Sub-Saharan Africa, however experts believe that by 2050 the Malaria disease will have infiltrated the northern hemisphere. This is a very serious global warming effect. For more information on the Malaria disease please click here.
Flooding also means that disease is spread with flood water carrying dead people and animals, contaminating water supplies.
Extreme weather will become more common place
We have already seen in recent years the increase of sudden and extreme weather across the world. The Tsunami that hit Thailand and Sri Lanka in 2004, Hurricanes Irene and Katrina in North America over the last few years and also the Tsunami that devastated parts of Japan in 2010. One of the effects of global warming is the increase in such weather due to the increase in temperature of the earth's oceans. The effects of these extreme weather systems are huge, they cause wide scale damage to people's homes and livelihoods, they take lives, they spread disease, they have an effect on the global economy due the cost of the damage and disruption to businesses. They also destroy ecosystems and the life within them, due to flooding and droughts.
Besides heatwaves there are also chill, or cold waves that bring on short periods of extremely cold weather out of nowhere. In January 2011 a cold wave swept the city of Chicago bringing temperatures of some twenty below zero as well as huge amounts of snowfall. At the same time the UK was experiencing it's most brutal winter in thirty years.
These conditions can disrupt people's lives and businesses and can even lead to death of human and animals due to accidents, hypothermia and even starvation to people in remote areas where their food or heat supply has been cut off. This is of course more likely in countries that are lesser equipped to deal with the problem.
These are true global warming effects due to the disruption of the ocean currents such as the Gulf stream and change in atmospheric conditions.
Wildfires
Due to severe drought in areas of the world, wildfires are a huge problem and these can burn through huge areas of forest and land. Although these are relatively uncommon in present times, they will potentially become common place if the effects of global warming continue. When they do occur massive amounts of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere along with black carbon from the dead trees, this further contributes to the greenhouse effect and air pollution. This also means that trees that help to reduce carbon dioxide levels are destroyed.
People and animals will die
Global warming means the temperature across the world is rising. In the UK temperatures at the end of October 2011 were two to three times higher than the average. This may seem like a nice predicament to be in for the people there, however in other places in the world such as Thailand mass flooding has occurred, in the Sudan there are droughts and heatwaves leading to famine. Serious droughts and heat waves are destroying land and exhausting food and water supplies, which mean that neither animals or people are able to survive in the most deprived areas of the world.
War and civil unrest
When you think about global warming effects you may not look further than rising sea levels and bad weather, however these are just the obvious problems. In areas of the world where these issue mean that food and water are scarce, but populations are huge, there becomes the serious issues concerning who is going to get all of the things in short supply to survive amongst already conflicting nations. This already has led to huge civil unrest in parts of Africa and the problem is only expected to get worse with areas that millions of people live in becoming uninhabitable and leading them to migrate to places they can survive, although these places are already vastly over-populated! Fewer resources and more people is always going to lead to big problems!
Humanitarian issues
With flooding and droughts in some of the poorest areas of the world such as Africa, the food and water supply is becoming more and more scarce. Without the continued help of the developed world there are serious humanitarian issues such as starvation and disease amongst countries with vastly expanding populations ill equipped to deal with the problems themselves.
Health problems
One of the serious effects of global warming is the health issues that are caused by many of the contributing factors. Those that live and work in built up areas are subjected to air pollution or 'smog' as it is otherwise known, which is created primarily by vehicle emissions and industrial pollution. It is not healthy to have to breath in this dirty air everyday and it can lead to a decline in your immune system and the onset of health problems such as asthma and bronchitis. You have seen the residents of cities such as Beijing on the television wearing masks just to walk around outside, this could be common place in many big cities across the world as the population tries to fight against global warming effects.
Just to highlight the effects of global warming on human life, we have created another quick list below:
- Disease
- Starvation
- Malnutrition
- Loss of land
- Loss of home
- Loss of means to support themselves
If you are faced with drinking water that could potentially give you a deadly disease, or not drink any water knowing you will die, what do you do? Sadly global warming effects put millions of people in this situation.
Global warming and it's effects on animals
In our last section we are going to discuss global warming and it's effects on animals. As you will have read in the above section all about the effects of global warming, there are many reasons why both animals and humans are adversely effected.
The difference is that humans are top of the food chain and are able to adapt and survive a lot better than animals can. With global warming causing whole ecosystems to be damaged and even wiped out, this means that whole species of animals and insects are left either dead or homeless.
The main effects of global warming on animals are:
The loss of habitats
With forests being ravaged by fire, the polar icecaps decreasing in size and pollution and temperature changes destroying coral reefs and other marine ecosystem, animals, fish and insects are left to either die out or adapt to new habitats. However, with less room for different species to co-exist this can mean less food to go around, less shelter to live in and it comes down to competition and survival of the fittest. Both of these initial and subsequent factors can and will lead to the extinction of species over time.
Loss of life
Just as we have explained that the loss of natural habitat leads to the loss of life and even the extinction of entire species, there are many other ways that global warming effects animals. For instance the oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the air and this can kills marine life and have a dangerous effect on the ocean's food chains. If a link in the chain is reduced, or even disappears this can have wide spread consequences. This can be from less amounts of phytoplankton being produced for fish to feed on, to a species of fish dieing out and leaving the marine life that feeds on them hungry.
Biodiversity
If certain animals are only able to survive in cold climates and other in warm climates, what happens of the areas of the world that they live in see a drastic change in temperature? They die out because they are built to survive in certain conditions and it is not always possible for them to adapt to new ones. Think of the polar bears that live on the polar ice caps. If they have to migrate then they will end up invading another ecosystem and food chain and their presence may put other species in jeopardy by taking the food out of their mouths, or even by making the hunters there become the hunted. That is if they are even able to adapt to the new conditions at all that is.
Droughts, flooding and fires
All of these factors destroy landscape and habitats that animals live on and require in order to survive. When these occur they can eradicate sources of food as well as the animals' homes, leaving them vulnerable to starvation and also to humans and other predators higher up the food chain.
We hope that this section has been able to highlight global warming and it's effects on animals. We are all living on the same planet so are effectively all in it together when it comes to the effects of global warming.
More Information
Besides discussing what are the effects of global warming, this site has many other interesting pages on the subject of global warming full of free information. If are interested in global warming effects then you may also want to know more about the greenhouse effect which is ultimately causing these problems. We can all make our own small difference to the the consequences of global warming by reducing our carbon footprints, to find out how you can do this please check out our page on what a carbon footprint is. The effects of global warming are very real and very dangerous to the long term survival of our planet and the life on it. If this page has made your realise just how serious it is then it is never too late to make your own small efforts make a difference.
