The Consequences of a Warmer Earth

1. The Consequences of a Warmer Earth By: Alysia Brown

2. Melting Ice and Rising Sea Levels • Ice melts as global temperature increases, causing the amount of ice near the poles to decrease. • The melting of ice and snow causes sea levels around the world to rise. • Coastal wetlands and other low-level areas could be flooded

3. Global Weather Patterns • If the Earth warms up significantly, the surface of the ocean will absorb more heat, which may make hurricanes and typhoons more common. • Sever flooding could occur in some regions at the same time that droughts devastate other regions.

4. Human Health Problems • Warmer average global temperature pose potential threats to human health. • Very young and very old city dwellers are at great risk during heat waves. • Since trees and flowering plants, such as grasses, would flower earlier and for longer than they do now, people who are allergic to pollen would suffer from allergies for more of the year.

5. Agriculture • Agriculture would be most severely impacted by global warming if extreme weather events, such as droughts, became more frequently. • Higher temperatures could result in decreased crop yields. • The demand for irrigation could increase, which would further deplete aquifers that have already been overused.

6. Effects on Plants and Animals • Climate change could alter both the range of plant species and the composition of plant communities. • Global warming may cause a shift in the geographical range of some animals