Effects of Global Warming

The effects of global warming are not just limited to hotter days and higher sea levels. Global warming is having a knock-on effect throughout the world.

Here are some of the known effects of global warming.

Hotter Weather

OK, this is the obvious one. Average temperatures are rising throughout the world. Recent times have seen the hottest years on record and there's no sign of this changing any time soon.

In some locations around the world, hotter weather can spell disaster. For example, outback Australia is currently experiencing the worst drought on record. Farmers have no choice but to sell their farms and re-locate to a cooler location.

Even then, Australia's "cooler" locations are experiencing their own crisis. Sydney, Australia's largest city (population more than 4 million), will run out of drinking water within 2 years if the current trend continues. Recently, on a weekly basis, Sydney's main dam has been consistently breaking its own records for its lowest level on record. At the time of writing, the dam is just over 30% full. The government has always said that any lower than 30% full would be considered critical.

Sea Levels

While drinking water is disappearing in our major cities, sea levels are increasing around the world. At the current rate, more than 100 million people will need to migrate to higher ground within the next 100 years.

And, as if that's not alarming enough, many people have already been forced to move to higher ground. In fact, some island populations have had no choice but to leave their own country - they've been flooded out of their own country.

Wildlife

Global warming is having an alarming impact on wildlife. Many species are being forced to migrate to higher altitudes in order to survive. Even worse, many species have become extinct and even more will follow. Scientists have even predicted that as much as 25% of Earth's species will be extinct by 2050.

Disease & Health

As well as the health of wildlife, global warming can have an enormous impact on our own health. For example, tropical diseases are moving to areas that have traditionally been too cold for the disease to survive. Mosquitos are moving to higher altitudes due to higher temperatures at those altitudes. Some of these mosquitos are carrying diseases such as Dengue Fever and Malaria.

Increased temperatures can cause all sorts of problems for people's health. Respiratory problems, heart problems and more. Each year, people die from unexpected heat waves.

Glaciers and Ice Caps

The warmer the temperature, the less ice you have. The worlds glaciers are melting away. The antarctic and arctic are melting away. Some glaciers will disappear within 100 years. The arctic and antarctic are already losing vast quantities of their ice. Antarctica, in 2002, the northern section of the Larsen B ice shelf collapsed. This section was enormous and had existed for many millennia.