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Climate Change

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Global Warming Effects Map - Effects of Global Warming. Regional effects of global warming. Mean surface temperature change for 1999–2008 relative to the average temperatures from 1940 to 1980 Projected changes in average temperatures across the world in the 2050s under three greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions scenarios, relative to average temperatures between 1971-1999[1] Regional effects of global warming are long-term significant changes in the expected patterns of average weather of a specific region due to global warming.

The world average temperature is rising due to the greenhouse effect caused by increasing levels of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide. When the global temperature changes, the changes in climate are not expected to be uniform across the Earth. Regional effects of global warming vary in nature. Regional impacts[edit] Highlights of recent and projected regional impacts are shown below:[2] Impacts on Africa[edit] Impacts on Asia[edit] Glaciers in Asia are melting at a faster rate than ever documented in historical records.

Impacts on Europe[edit] A U.S.

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Women will suffer the worst effects of climate change. Environmental researchers have made it clear that climate change will affect the world’s poorest more severely, and more imminently, than those of us in the more developed Western world. It is a particularly unpleasant reality of climate change—that those societies that have emitted the most greenhouse gases are not going to be the ones to bear the brunt of its destabilizing effects.

What is often missed in these analyses and forecasts however, is the fact that women make up more than half of the world’s impoverished population. Which means, generally speaking, that women will be more affected by climate change than men in coming decades. The majority of these women work on the land, and are providers of food and water for their families. These practices are disrupted by obstructed access to natural resources caused by climatic changes—leaving women more susceptible to food insecurity than men, who are more able to work, and eat, outside the home. Extreme Weather, Climate Change. When it comes to connecting the dots between climate change, extreme weather and health, the lines are clear.

The earth is saying something with record heat, drought, storms and fire. Scientists are telling us this is what global warming looks like. It's time to listen – and take action. There's plenty we can do. Carbon pollution is the main reason our planet is getting hotter, increasing the chances of weather disasters, drought and flood and hurting our health. There are solutions. But first, we need national leadership that will stop ignoring what the earth and scientists are telling us about climate change -- and instead start ignoring those who continue to deny it is happening. Here's what the first six months of 2012 brought: Unfortunately, the first half of 2012 is not the exception. The extreme weather of 2012 has already caused billions of dollars worth of damage, but again, that's just part of the trend. There are solutions to address extreme weather tied to climate change.

Global Warming Effects and Threats on Human Health. Water Sustainability - Water Supply at Risk. Environmental Issues > Global Warming Main Page > All Global Warming Documents Current Water Demands Are Not Sustainable Climate change will have a significant impact on the sustainability of water supplies in the coming decades. A new analysis, performed by consulting firm Tetra Tech for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), examined the effects of global warming on water supply and demand in the contiguous United States. The study found that more than 1,100 counties -- one-third of all counties in the lower 48 -- will face higher risks of water shortages by mid-century as the result of global warming. More than 400 of these counties will face extremely high risks of water shortages. Water Supply Sustainability Overview by State Water Shortage Risk and Crop Value in At-Risk Counties, by State (pdf) Nebraska - Pennsylvania ↓ South Carolina - Wyoming ↓ last revised 7/16/2010 This Is Global Warming Watch the Video » Our new video shows the effects of global warming in the world today.

Extreme Weather Map 2012. 2188 record heat days In 2012, record-breaking extreme events occurred in each of the 50 states. We saw the hottest March on record in the contiguous US, and July was the hottest single month ever recorded in those lower 48 states. Spring and summer aren't the whole story: 2012 is very likely to be the warmest year overall ever recorded in the US, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The frequency and intensity of some very costly types of extreme events are likely to worsen with climate change, as temperatures continue to rise and affect weather patterns. Extreme weather events inflict tremendous costs on our health and families. Extreme Weather Events and Climate Change 2012 has been another year of unparalleled extremes and disastrous weather events, including: FEMA News Photo1094 days of record rainfall Climate scientists are saying that these events likely represent a climate-induced trend. We need to be prepared. A. B. C. . (2) Wildfires. Global Warming Facts, Causes and Effects of Climate Change. Jump to Section Q: What is global warming? A: Since the Industrial Revolution, the global annual temperature has increased in total by a little more than 1 degree Celsius, or about 2 degrees Fahrenheit.

Between 1880—the year that accurate recordkeeping began—and 1980, it rose on average by 0.07 degrees Celsius (0.13 degrees Fahrenheit) every 10 years. Since 1981, however, the rate of increase has more than doubled: For the last 40 years, we’ve seen the global annual temperature rise by 0.18 degrees Celsius, or 0.32 degrees Fahrenheit, per decade. The result? Now climate scientists have concluded that we must limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2040 if we are to avoid a future in which everyday life around the world is marked by its worst, most devastating effects: the extreme droughts, wildfires, floods, tropical storms, and other disasters that we refer to collectively as climate change.

Q: What causes global warming? Q: How is global warming linked to extreme weather? A: No! Economic Loss and Damage. Declining crop yields could put hundreds of thousands of people at risk for starvation. Climate change is affecting businesses and economies at home and around the world. If action is not taken to curb global carbon emissions, climate change could cost between 5 and 20 percent of the annual global gross domestic product, according to a British government report. In comparison, it would take 1 percent of GDP to lessen the most damaging effects of climate change, the report says. These global costs will be felt by local communities and businesses: In southern New England lobster catches have plummeted because of heat stresses and growing parasite threats due to rising sea temperatures.

Globally, more intense hurricanes and downpours could cause billions of dollars in damage to property and infrastructure. High sea temperatures also threaten the survival of coral reefs, which generate an estimated $375 billion per year in goods and services. Climate change and human health. As temperatures rise, so do the risks of heat-related illness and even death for the most vulnerable human populations. In 2003, for example, extreme heat waves caused more than 20,000 deaths in Europe and more than 1,500 deaths in India. Scientists have linked the deadly heat waves to climate change and warn of more to come. In addition to heat-related illness, climate change may increase the spread of infectious diseases, mainly because warmer temperatures allow disease-carrying insects, animals and microbes to survive in areas where they were once thwarted by cold weather.

Diseases and pests that were once limited to the tropics — such as mosquitoes that carry malaria — may find hospitable conditions in new areas that were once too cold to support them. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that climate change may have caused more than 150,000 deaths in the year 2000 alone, with an increase in deaths likely in the future. Climate Change Impact on Storms. Scientific research indicates that climate change will cause hurricanes and tropical storms to become more intense — lasting longer, unleashing stronger winds, and causing more damage to coastal ecosystems and communities. Scientists point to higher ocean temperatures as the main culprit, since hurricanes and tropical storms get their energy from warm water.

As sea surface temperatures rise, developing storms will contain more energy. At the same time, other factors such as rising sea levels, disappearing wetlands, and increased coastal development threaten to intensify the damage caused by hurricanes and tropical storms. Drought, Fire, Floods. Climate change is intensifying the circulation of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth — causing drought and floods to be more frequent, severe and widespread.

Higher temperatures increase the amount of moisture that evaporates from land and water, leading to drought in many areas. Lands affected by drought are more vulnerable to flooding once rain falls. As temperatures rise globally, droughts will become more frequent and more severe, with potentially devastating consequences for agriculture, water supply and human health. This phenomenon has already been observed in some parts of Asia and Africa, where droughts have become longer and more intense. Hot temperatures and dry conditions also increase the likelihood of forest fires. About the Impacts of Climate Change. As the Earth heats up, sea levels rise because warmer water takes up more room than colder water, a process known as thermal expansion. Melting glaciers compound the problem by dumping even more fresh water into the oceans. Rising seas threaten to inundate low-lying areas and islands, threaten dense coastal populations, erode shorelines, damage property and destroy ecosystems such as mangroves and wetlands that protect coasts against storms.

Sea levels have risen between four and eight inches in the past 100 years. Current projections suggest that sea levels could continue to rise between 4 inches and 36 inches over the next 100 years. A 36-inch increase in sea levels would swamp every city on the East Coast of the United States, from Miami to Boston. Worldwide, approximately 100 million people live within three feet of sea level. Wildlife at Risk From Climate Change. Changing landscapes. Rising temperatures and changing patterns of rain and snow are forcing trees and plants around the world to move toward polar regions and up mountain slopes. These vegetation shifts will undermine much of the work the conservation community has accomplished to date, with the potential to permanently change the face of Conservancy preserves, local land trusts, and even our national parks.

In the tundra, thawing permafrost will allow shrubs and trees to take root. In the Great Plains of the United States, grasslands will likely become forests. And New England’s fiery fall foliage will eventually fade as maple and beech forests shift north toward cooler temperatures. As plant communities try to adjust to the changing climate by moving toward cooler areas, the animals that depend on them will be forced to move.

Development and other barriers may block the migration of both plants and animals. Higher Temperatures. Heat-trapping gases emitted by power plants, automobiles, deforestation and other sources are warming up the planet. In fact, the five hottest years on record have all occurred since 1997 and the 10 hottest since 1990, including the warmest years on record – 2005 and 2010. High temperatures are to blame for an increase in heat-related deaths and illness, rising seas, increased storm intensity, and many of the other dangerous consequences of climate change. During the 20th century, the Earth’s average temperature rose one degree Fahrenheit to its highest level in the past four centuries – believed to be the fastest rise in a thousand years.

Scientists project that if emissions of heat-trapping carbon emissions aren’t reduced, average surface temperatures could increase by 3 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century. The planet’s oceans are also warming, which is causing dangerous consequences such as stronger storms, coral bleaching and rising seas. Climate Change Impacts & Threats. Climate Change Impacts & Threats.

Effects. Global climate change has already had observable effects on the environment. Glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier, plant and animal ranges have shifted and trees are flowering sooner. Effects that scientists had predicted in the past would result from global climate change are now occurring: loss of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise and longer, more intense heat waves. Taken as a whole, the range of published evidence indicates that the net damage costs of climate change are likely to be significant and to increase over time.

Scientists have high confidence that global temperatures will continue to rise for decades to come, largely due to greenhouse gases produced by human activities. According to the IPCC, the extent of climate change effects on individual regions will vary over time and with the ability of different societal and environmental systems to mitigate or adapt to change.

Future effects Change will continue through this century and beyond. How Climate Change Started - The Earth Story (Animation) Cyclone Pam: solutions to the human cost of climate change | Environment. “No man is an island,” wrote the English poet John Donne. The devastating scenes from Vanuatu in the wake of cyclone Pam show how acutely relevant his lines remain given the threat posed to all humanity by climate change. Small islands are particularly vulnerable to cyclones and rising sea levels, but increased emissions and temperatures mean we are all more vulnerable to climate-related disasters and their devastating consequences. It is a grim coincidence that cyclone Pam struck as the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction being held in Sendai, Japan. There is a global consensus that a changing climate leads to changes in the frequency, intensity, duration and timing of extreme weather and climate events, and can result in unprecedented events.

An effective response needs to be conceived at a global level and to start with an acknowledgement that this is a shared challenge and responsibility. The backdrop is stark. Climate change making droughts in Australia worse as rain patterns shift | Environment. Keep it in the Ground campaign: six things we've learned | Environment. Texas city opts for 100% renewable energy – to save cash, not the planet | Environment. Russell Brand and Naomi Klein join forces for This Changes Everything live | Environment. Keep it in the ground: a poem by Carol Ann Duffy | Environment.