What are some of the impacts of climate change?
Weather will become more extreme, with more frequent and more intense heat waves and droughts. Some models predict that the midwestern United States will become too dry to support agriculture and that Canada will become the new breadbasket. In all, about 10% to 50% of current cropland worldwide may become unusable if CO2 doubles. This will have catastrophic effects on our ability to feed a world with a growing population.
Hurricanes are likely to become more severe and possibly more frequent. Tropical and subtropical insects will expand their ranges, resulting in the spread of tropical diseases such as malaria, encephalitis, yellow fever, and dengue fever to places where the diseases currently don't exist. Additionally, pests that affect crops are also likely to increase in numbers and range.
Sea level are expected to rise, but there is quite a range in predictions between 18 and 97 cm for this century. What is the reason for this
uncertainty? It is partly because scientists cannot predict exactly how
the Earth will respond to increased levels of greenhouses gases. How quickly greenhouse gases continue to build up in the atmosphere depends in part on the choices we make.
An important question people ask is this: Are the increases in
global temperature natural? The answer is no. The scientific evidence strongly points to the changes in climate to be caused by humans. Therefore, we can make a difference to stop the increase in greenhouse gas emission and we can even work to drawdown carbon from the atmosphere.
Source: Excerpt Adapted from CK-12
Click on the link from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to find some of the impacts of climate change.
Source: US EPA
