We are all used to hearing statements regarding global warming and climate change, these days. There seems to be differing lines of thought, though,on such environmental issues. Many feel that such potentially disastrous changes are man-made, whilst others feel that it is just one of the many sequences the earth will go through with time. Whatever is the reason, there is no doubt that such changes will affect life on earth.
As the earth’s temperature rises there will be many problems for its people to endure and try to resolve. Undoubtedly even a slight increase in this temperature will cause the sea levels to rise. This will be partially due to the further melting of the polar ice caps. What is called the greenhouse effect will exacerbate global warming.
With a warmer earth, snow will be less evident and such pastimes as skiing will disappear from the planet. All of this may sound nothing to worry about but there are many possible repercussions which may be felt around the world. An increase in the earth’s temperature may lead to the failure of crops around the world. With the weather varying from droughts to floods, wildlife and people will struggle to survive.
2009 has already seen many episodes of severe flooding around the world. November 2009 saw floods, that have been called a once in a thousand years occurrence, causing havoc in Cumbria in the UK. With established stone bridges collapsing there has been loss of life and a repair bill running into millions of pounds. Some of these people had experienced severe flooding only two years earlier and thought it would be a long time before such a flood happened again.
Such flooding when it happens causes loss of homes, education, transport links,livestock and livelihoods. The ongoing costs of such weather, should it happen on a regular basis, could be devastating. Flooding ruins crops as much as a drought does and so an increase in the earth’s temperature could herald food shortages. This is no doubt why governments are investing in growing genetically modified foods, if possible.
Warmer temperatures mean an increased risk of new and established infections increasing. We will be more prone to contracting infections from insects also.
This is not the whole story though. It is expected that any temperature change will happen fairly quickly and so we will not have enough time to change or adapt accordingly. There will more heat-waves, hurricanes, tornadoes and the like. Such weather will cause some loss of life or injuries. Medical professionals and hospitals will be stretched, as they try to deal with more casualties of global warming.
Heat-waves are not only bad for people, though, as they could also be terrible for animals. Yet again this is something which will reduce the amount of food readily available.
All in all it is not a rosy prospect when you think about the earth’s temperature rising. If this happens quickly, then no matter how small the increase, it will be devastating for the planet and life on Earth, as we know it.
