Global warming, the phenomenon of increasing average air temperatures near

the surface of Earth over the past one to two centuries. Climate scientists have since the

mid-20th century gathered detailed observations of various weather phenomena (such as

temperatures, precipitation, and storms) and of related influences on climate (such

as ocean currents and the atmosphere’s chemical composition). These data indicate that

Earth’s climate has changed over almost every conceivable timescale since the

beginning of geologic time and that the influence of human activities since at least the

beginning of the Industrial Revolution has been deeply woven into the very fabric

of climate change.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment

Report concluded, "It is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant

cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century."] The largest human

influence has been the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane,

and nitrous oxide. Climate model projections summarized in the report indicated that

during the 21st century the global surface temperature is likely to rise a further 0.3 to

1.7 °C (0.5 to 3.1 °F) in a moderate scenario, or as much as 2.6 to 4.8 °C (4.7 to 8.6 °F)

in an extreme scenario, depending on the rate of future greenhouse gas emissions and

on climate feedback effects. These findings have been recognized by the national science

academies of the major industrialized nations and are not disputed by any scientific body

of national or international standing.

https://www.britannica.com/science/global-warming
Effects of Global Warming on Food

Climate-related threats to global food production include risks to grain, vegetable, and

fruit crops, livestock, and fisheries

 Reduced yields. The productivity of crops and livestock, including milk yields, may

decline because of high temperatures and drought-related stress.

 Increased irrigation. Regions of the world that now depend on rain-fed agriculture

may require irrigation, bringing higher costs and conflict over access to water.

 Planting and harvesting changes. Shifting seasonal rainfall patterns and more

severe precipitation events—and related flooding—may delay planting and

harvesting.

 Decreased arability. Prime growing temperatures may shift to higher latitudes,

where soil and nutrients may not be as suitable for producing crops, leaving lower-

latitude areas less productive.

 More pests. Insect and plant pests may survive or even reproduce more often each

year if cold winters no longer keep them in check. New pests may also invade each

region as temperature and humidity conditions change. Lower-latitude pests may

move to higher latitudes, for example.

 Risks to fisheries. Shifts in the abundance and types of fish and other seafood may

hurt commercial fisheries, while warmer waters may pose threats to human

consumption, such as increasing the risk of infectious diseases. Extreme ocean

 temperatures and ocean acidification place coral reefs-—the foundations of many

of the world's fisheries-—at risk.

https://www.climatehotmap.org/global-warming-effects/food.html

Effects of Global Warming on Water

Humans use water for everything from drinking and bathing to growing crops, supporting
livestock and fish farms, shipping goods, generating electricity, and simply relaxing and
having fun. Yet climate change is producing profound changes in this precious
commodity, threatening water availability, access, and even quality.

 Decline in drinking water—both quantity and quality—is expected for these

reasons:

► Municipal sewer systems may overflow during extreme rainfall events, gushing

untreated sewage into drinking water supplies.

► Loss of mountain snowpack and earlier spring snowmelt spurred by higher

temperatures reduce the availability of drinking water downstream.

► The shrinking of mountain glaciers threatens drinking water supplies for millions

of people.

► Sea-level rise can lead to saltwater intrusion into groundwater drinking supplies,

especially in low-lying, gently sloping coastal areas.

 Decline in irrigation supplies. Loss of mountain snowpack reduces the amount of

water available for irrigation downstream, while earlier spring snowmelt affects the

timing. Saltwater intrusion may contaminate the supply from groundwater.

 Higher shipping costs. Lower lake and river levels may reduce the capacity of ships

to carry freight safely due to the danger of their running aground or preclude the
 use of large ships altogether—both of which may increase shipping costs for food

and other commodities.

 Disruptions to power supply. Lower lake and river levels may threaten the capacity

of hydroelectric plants, while higher temperatures may mean that water is too warm

to cool coal and nuclear power plants, leading to power brownouts. Shrinking

mountain glaciers threaten electricity generation as well.

 Effects on recreation. Reduced snowpack and earlier spring snowmelt put

traditional winter sports, such as skiing and snowmobiling, at risk, while lower

water levels in lakes and rivers increase the costs of maintaining recreational

amenities such as pleasure boat docks and even beaches.

https://www.climatehotmap.org/global-warming-effects/water-supply.html

Effects of Global Warming on People

As our climate changes, the risk of injury, illness, and death from the resulting heat waves,

wildfires, intense storms, and floods rises.

 Extreme heat. If high temperatures, especially when combined with high

relative humidity, persist for several days (heat waves), and if nighttime

temperatures do not drop, extreme heat can be a killer. Of all climate-related

projections by scientists, rising temperatures are the most robust. Higher

temperatures are also the most influenced by human behavior: the fewer heat-

trapping emissions we release into the atmosphere, the cooler we can keep our
 planet. Because winter temperatures are rising faster than summer ones, cold-

related deaths are likely to decline.

 "Natural" disasters. Projected changes in temperature and precipitation under

global warming are likely to lead to other effects that threaten human health and

safety. For example, changing precipitation patterns and prolonged heat can

create drought, which can cause forest and peat fires, putting residents and

firefighters in danger. However, a warming atmosphere also holds more moisture,

so the chance of extreme rainfall and flooding continues to rise in some regions

with rain or snow. In many heavily populated areas, sea-level rise is more likely to

put people in the path of storm surges and coastal flooding. Warmer ocean waters

may spawn more intense tropical hurricanes and typhoons while ocean cycles

continue to be a factor in the frequency of tropical cyclones.

 Poor air quality. Three key ingredients—sunlight, warm air, and pollution from

power plants and cars burning coal and gasoline—combine to produce ground-

level ozone (smog), which humans experience as poor air quality. Higher air

temperatures increase smog, if sunlight, fossil fuel pollution, and air currents

remain the same.

 Allergens and other nuisances. Warmer temperatures and higher concentrations

of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere stimulate some plants to grow faster, mature

earlier, or produce more potent allergens. Common allergens such as ragweed

seem to respond particularly well to higher concentrations of CO2, as do pesky

plants such as poison ivy. Allergy-related diseases rank among the most common

and chronic illnesses that can lead to lower productivity.

  Spreading diseases. Scientists expect a warmer world to bring changes in "disease

vectors"—the mechanisms that spread some diseases. Insects previously stopped

by cold winters are already moving to higher latitudes (toward the poles). Warmer

oceans and other surface waters may also mean severe cholera outbreaks and

harmful bacteria in certain types of seafood. Still, changes in land use and the

ability of public health systems to respond make projecting the risk of vector-borne

disease particularly difficult.

People do not bear the health risks of climate change equally because:

 Climate trends differ by region. People who live in floodplains, for example, are

more likely to see river or coastal flooding. Similarly, people who live in regions

with poor air quality today are at greater risk from poor air quality days in the future.

 Some people are more vulnerable to illness or death. Young children, the elderly,

and those who are already ill are less able to withstand high temperatures and

poor air quality, for example. Temperature extremes and smog hit people with

heart and respiratory diseases, including asthma, particularly hard.

 Wealthy nations are more likely to adapt to projected climate change and recover

from climate-related disasters than poor countries. Even within nations, less

economically fortunate individuals are more vulnerable because they are less likely

to have air conditioning and well-insulated homes, and because they have fewer

resources to escape danger.

https://www.climatehotmap.org/global-warming-effects/health.html
Possible solution on Global Warming

 Boosting energy efficiency: The energy used to power, heat, and cool our

homes, businesses, and industries is the single largest contributor to global

warming. Energy efficiency technologies allow us to use less energy to get the

same—or higher—level of production, service, and comfort. This approach has

vast potential to save both energy and money, and can be deployed quickly.

 Greening transportation: The transportation sector's emissions have increased at

a faster rate than any other energy-using sector over the past decade. A variety of

solutions are at hand, including improving efficiency (miles per gallon) in all modes

of transport, switching to low-carbon fuels, and reducing vehicle miles traveled

through smart growth and more efficient mass transportation systems.

 Revving up renewables: Renewable energy sources such as solar, wind,

geothermal and bioenergy are available around the world. Multiple studies have

shown that renewable energy has the technical potential to meet the vast majority

of our energy needs. Renewable technologies can be deployed quickly, are

increasingly cost-effective, and create jobs while reducing pollution.

 Phasing out fossil fuel electricity: Dramatically reducing our use of fossil fuels—

especially carbon-intensive coal—is essential to tackle climate change. There are

many ways to begin this process. Key action steps include: not building any new

coal-burning power plants, initiating a phased shutdown of coal plants starting with

the oldest and dirtiest, and capturing and storing carbon emissions from power

plants. While it may sound like science fiction, the technology exists to store carbon
 emissions underground. The technology has not been deployed on a large scale

or proven to be safe and permanent, but it has been demonstrated in other

contexts such as oil and natural gas recovery. Demonstration projects to test the

viability and costs of this technology for power plant emissions are worth pursuing.

 Managing forests and agriculture: Taken together, tropical deforestation and

emissions from agriculture represent nearly 30 percent of the world's heat-trapping

emissions. We can fight global warming by reducing emissions from deforestation

and forest degradation and by making our food production practices more

sustainable.

 Exploring nuclear: Because nuclear power results in few global warming

emissions, an increased share of nuclear power in the energy mix could help

reduce global warming—but nuclear technology poses serious threats to our

security and, as the accident at the Fukushima Diaichi plant in Japan illustrates to

our health and the environment as well. The question remains: can the safety,

proliferation, waste disposal, and cost barriers of nuclear power be overcome?

 Developing and deploying new low-carbon and zero-carbon technologies:

Research into and development of the next generation of low-carbon technologies

will be critical to deep mid-century reductions in global emissions. Current research

on battery technology, new materials for solar cells, harnessing energy from novel

sources like bacteria and algae, and other innovative areas could provide

important breakthroughs.
  Ensuring sustainable development: The countries of the world—from the most to

the least developed—vary dramatically in their contributions to the problem of

climate change and in their responsibilities and capacities to confront it. A

successful global compact on climate change must include financial assistance

from richer countries to poorer countries to help make the transition to low-carbon

development pathways and to help adapt to the impacts of climate change.

https://www.climatehotmap.org/global-warming-solutions/
Reference

https://www.britannica.com/science/global-warming

https://www.climatehotmap.org/global-warming-effects/food.html

https://www.climatehotmap.org/global-warming-effects/water-supply.html

https://www.climatehotmap.org/global-warming-effects/health.html

https://www.climatehotmap.org/global-warming-solutions/