Ten major hazards of global warming to human beings. What can we do about it?

What is global warming? Why is the whole world talking about preventing global warming? What is the impact of global warming? Summer is getting hotter and hotter now, and it seldom snows in winter. Occasionally, it snows and melts in one day. These are all caused by the greenhouse effect of global warming. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane accumulate in the earth’s atmosphere, which makes the heat of the sun not go out. The problem of global warming has been taken seriously by many people. People even begin to worry that global warming may lead to the melting of Antarctic glaciers and even bring disastrous consequences to the global climate. Is global warming so terrible? Today, let’s share with you the article about the top ten hazards of global warming. What are the hazards of global warming? Let’s take a look.

At present, human activities increase the content of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The gases emitted by burning fossil fuels, water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane are absorbed by infrared radiation to retain energy, resulting in the rise of global surface temperature, aggravating the greenhouse effect, and causing global warming. To solve this problem, the United Nations has formulated the Framework Convention on Climate Change to control greenhouse gas emissions and prevent the earth’s temperature from rising, affecting the ecology and the environment.

I. Sea level rise

Hot weather on earth does not mean that Miami’s lifestyle will be like that of Africa, but it does lead to the rise of sea level. How can hot weather cause the sea level to rise? It turns out that high temperatures can cause icebergs to melt. As sea ice and the polar ice caps continue to melt, the amount of water in the oceans increases, causing sea levels to rise.

If the beach is submerged by the sea, people will lose a lot of fun. At present, many cities like Miami in the world are facing the threat of sea level rise.

Scientists have been able to measure the impact of the melting of the Greenland ice sheet: the flow of the Colorado River has increased sixfold. Scientists predict that if the ice shelves in Greenland and Antarctica continue to melt, the sea level will be 6 meters higher than today by 2100. This would inundate many of Indonesia’s tropical islands and low-lying areas, as well as Miami, Manhattan in New York City, and Bangladesh.

II. Melting Glaciers

No special equipment is needed to observe whether the glacier is melting. Vegetation now grows on the tundra after the permafrost that formerly covered its surface thawed due to rising surface temperatures. Glacier National Park in Montana has lost much of its beauty as surface temperatures have risen.

In this century, the glaciers in Montana’s national parks have been severely reduced. In addition, the Himalayan glaciers are the main source of water for the Ganges. The Ganges, which supplies drinking and irrigation water to 500 million people, is now said to be shrinking at a rate of 37 meters per year.

III. Heat wave attack

The deadly heat wave that swept across Europe in 2003, killing about 35,000 people, may have been a harbinger of the heatwave trends that scientists began tracking in the early 20th century.

Heat waves not only inhibit some functions of the human body but also kill people. A man tries to cool himself by pouring water from a bottle on the streets of New York City during a heat wave in 2008.

In the last 50 to 100 years, extreme heat waves have occurred two to four times more frequently than usual. It is predicted that in the next 40 years, there will be more than 100 times. Experts predict that a prolonged heat wave will lead to an increase in the frequency of fires, related diseases, and an increase in the average temperature of the earth.

IV. Storms and floods

Experts use climate models to predict the impact of rising global temperatures on precipitation. But the increasing frequency of superstorms is something no one wants to see in just 30 years, the frequency of category 4 to 5 severe hurricanes has almost doubled. Warm water increases the likelihood of severe storms. Hurricane Dolly swept across the Texas-Mexico border in July 2008.

The warm water gives strength to the hurricane. Scientists have linked ocean and atmospheric temperatures to the likelihood of severe storms. In the past few years, both the United States and the United Kingdom have experienced extreme storms and floods that have killed many people and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. From 1905 to 2005, the frequency of hurricanes increased steadily. Between 1905 and 1930, there were about 3.5 hurricanes per year on average; between 1931 and 1994, there were about 5.1 hurricanes per year; and between 1995 and 2005, there were 8.4 hurricanes per year.

V. Drought

While some parts of the world are battered by storms and inundation, others are threatened by drought. As the climate warms, experts estimate that droughts could increase by at least 66 Percent. The increase shrinks water supplies and reduces the quality of crop production. This has put global food production and supply at risk, and people are increasingly at risk of starvation. Worldwide droughts have exposed food shortages in rural areas. The picture shows drought conditions in a small village northeast of Nairobi.

Today, India, Pakistan, and sub-Saharan Africa are suffering from drought. Experts predict that precipitation is likely to continue to decrease in the coming decades. It is estimated that the situation will be terrible at that time. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, between 75 million and 250 million Africans could suffer from water shortages by 2020, while agricultural production on the continent could fall by 50%.

VI. Disease

Depending on where you live, you can use different repellents to deal with West Nile virus or Lyme disease. But when was the last time you worried you might get dengue fever? Some mosquitoes that may carry West Nile virus photographed in California. With the high-temperature weather of floods and droughts, the virus has created an excellent growth environment, and mosquitoes, ticks, rats, and other disease-carrying organisms are flourishing. The World Health Organization says new or re-emerging viruses are spreading rapidly and are living in countries different from where they used to be. Some tropical diseases can also occur in cold places. Mosquitoes, for example, infected Canadians with West Nile virus.

About 150,000 people die each year from diseases linked to climate change, and everything from heat-related heart disease to respiratory problems from malaria is on the rise. [Washington Post]. How is hay fever linked to global warming? This is because warming temperatures increase the production of smog, increase the number of asthma attacks, and further encourage the growth of weeds, which lay the foundation for allergy sufferers.

VII. Economic issues

As temperatures rise, the cost of making up for the damage caused by climate change increases. Severe storms and floods cause billions of dollars in agricultural damage while treating infectious diseases and preventing the spread of disease also require a lot of money. Extreme weather can also cause a very serious economic downturn. The record-breaking hurricane of 2005 stayed in Louisiana for several months, causing economic losses of about 15% of total income and property losses of at least $135 billion.

In addition to the human toll of Hurricane Katrina, both New Orleans and Louisiana are facing billions of dollars in economic losses.

Economic factors permeate almost every aspect of human life. Consumers face rising food and energy costs as they pay more for health and home insurance. Governments are also suffering the consequences of a slump in tourism and a decline in industrial profits: soaring energy costs, food and water demands, disaster clean-ups, and strained borders.

Ignoring the problem itself doesn’t make it go away. A recent study by Tufts University’s Institute for Global Development and the Environment found that if nothing is done about the threat of global warming, humanity will face a $20 trillion bill in 2100.

VIII. Conflicts and wars

The reduction of high-quality food, water, and land will increase the potential threat to global security, leading to conflicts and wars. Security experts say the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region shows that while global warming is not the only cause of the crisis, its root causes can be traced to the impact of climate change, especially the reduction of available natural resources. The violence in Darfur erupted during a long drought that has seen little or no precipitation for two decades, while temperatures in the nearby Indian Ocean have been rising. On the one hand, the conflict in Darfur is caused by the tension caused by global warming. Scientists and military scientists are analyzing the consequences of climate change, such as unstable food supplies that can trigger wars and conflicts, suggesting a link between violence and ecological crises. Countries that are short of water and food pose a security risk, and regional unrest, panic, and aggression are likely to occur.

IX. Loss of biodiversity

The rise of global temperature is more and more harmful to the survival of species. If the annual average temperature keeps increasing at a rate of 1.1 to 6.4 degrees Celsius, about 30% of existing plants and animals will face the threat of extinction by 2050. These species will become extinct because of desertification, deforestation, warming oceans, inability to adapt to climate, and so on. Wildlife researchers have noticed more elastic migration, with animals moving from the far north to the far south in search of the habitat they need to sustain themselves, such as red foxes, once inhabitants of North America, now living in the Arctic.

The habitat of red foxes has been affected by global warming. Human beings are not immune. Desertification and rising sea levels threaten human habitats. When plants and animals lose their adaptability to climate change, human food, fuel, and income will be out of the question.

X. Destruction of ecosystems

Climate change and increased carbon dioxide are a test of the human ecosystem, threatening fresh water, clean air, fuel and energy resources, food, medicine, and other conditions that affect human existence rather than lifestyles. Coral bleaching is just one of the tangible effects of global warming on ecosystems.

There is evidence of the impact of climate change on natural ecosystems, which means that any changes in the world are closely related to changes in land, water, and life. By looking at bleaching and dying coral reefs, scientists have found that this is caused by the warming of the sea. At the same time, some phenomena of plant drift and animal habitat change are also caused by the rise of air and water temperature or the melting of ice sheets. Based on different temperatures, scientists’ computer models predicted different levels of floods, droughts, forest fires, and ocean acidification, which eventually led to the collapse of global ecosystems, both terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

Predictions of famine, war, and death paint a grim picture of the planet’s future after climate change. Scientists study the impact of these changes on the earth, not to predict the future, but to help humans reduce the behavior that may cause climate change. If we know and understand what the problem is, take appropriate action to improve energy efficiency, use sustainable energy, and other green lifestyles, we can have an impact on the course of climate change.

What can we do? We can start with small things around us to reduce carbon dioxide production, such as developing a good habit of turning off lights, taking more public transport, turning off computers in time, paying bills online, reusing shopping bags, and planting more trees.

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