What are the most definite effects of global warming as of today?

Looking for real proof of the effects of global warming, and its impact on the enviornment?

Rising Temperatures

ˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉ

The most extensive reports into climate change are those compiled by the IPCC, these predict temperature rises of between 1.8°C and 4.0° by the end of the century, this is on top of the 0.8°C that the planet has already warmed by.

Effects on the Weather

ˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉ

Precipitation has increased some 10% overall but this isn’t evenly distributed across the planet. Many places have seen increased rainfall, some have seen less. Rain, when it does fall, tends to be more intense and often with longer dry spells between downpours. These factors have led to an increase in both flooding and droughts.



Storms should become more frequent, widespread and severe. In the last 50 years the number of category 5 hurricanes has doubled. Hurricanes have crossed the equator and now occur in the southern hemisphere. It should be noted that hurricanes are affected by cyclical changes unrelated to global warming so quite how significant an impact global warming has had is difficult to say.

All the deadliest heatwaves on record have occurred recently. The number of heatwaves has doubled, the number of days on which heatwave conditions are reached has trebled and the intensity of heatwaves has increased.

Desertification

ˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉ

Shifting weather patterns mean some areas receive less rainfall; the ground becomes barren and unable to sustain crops. In some parts of the world the topsoil is very thin and unstable. The dry, dusty soil is readily blown away and the area becomes desert. African and Asian countries are particularly hard hit. In China some one million farmers have been forced from their homes because their land has turned to desert.

Agricultural Impact

ˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉ

Rising sea levels will result in the loss of some agricultural land, the consequences of which will be population migration, famine, rising food prices and / or the need to import food. Again, it will be the African and Asian countries that are hardest hit. Crop yields are already down by an average of 6% and if warming continues as predicted then up to a third of crops could be lost.

In more moderate climates the farmers are now benefiting from longer growing seasons, they are able to plant earlier, harvest later and grow more produce that is suited to warmer conditions such as nuts, pulses and oils.

Rising Sea Levels

ˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉ

Sea levels are rising faster than at any time since the last ice age. Before the onset of industrialisation sea levels were rising by 0.1mm a year, today they’re rising 30 times as fast with some places, such as the Sundarman Delta, seeing levels rising by more than 30mm a year.

Many low-lying communities have been affected including Kenya, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea, Micronesia, Maldives, Antigua and Bermuda.

Predictions indicate rises of between 300 and 700mm by the end of the century, this would affect many coastal towns and cities around the world.

Some island communities are already being evacuated. Half a million people have left Bhola Island in the Ganges Delta, Tuvalu is in the process of being evacuated and others are set to follow.

Sometimes practices such as dynamite fishing, shingle extraction and deforestation are contributing to the loss of islands, it’s not all down to global warming.

Melting Ice Caps

ˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉ

The edges of the Antarctic Ice Sheet are breaking apart, in 2002 the Larsen B Ice Shelf broke off, this ice covered 3250 square kilometres and weighed half a trillion tons, this is the same as the amount of ice that is being lost each year from Greenland and Antarctica.

The Arctic sea-ice is of particular concern. It is becoming increasingly unstable and in the summer months it is retreating to record low levels. In 2012 it shrank to less than half the size it would normally have been.

Drought and Famine

ˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉ

Rising temperatures impact on food production, a 1°C rise equates to a 10% loss in grain production, areas already facing food shortages will be hardest hit. Warmer temperatures create severe drought conditions; hundreds of millions of people could be affected by contaminated water, a lack of water or both.

Planting crops better suited to the new climatic regime can offset agricultural losses. This doesn’t apply in the hot and arid parts of the world where they are already reliant upon the hardiest of crop species.

Half of the world’s glaciers outside the Polar Regions have melted; these are the starting points for several of the largest rivers in the world upon which many millions of people depend. With the glaciers having melted there is less water in the upper reaches of these rivers.

Population Migration

ˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉ

Large numbers of people are finding it increasingly difficult to remain in their present locations and for many this is proving impossible. In Bangladesh some 13 million people will be forced to move if the sea level rises by just one metre, half a million have already abandonned their homes.



Marine Environment

ˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉ

Oceans absorb carbon dioxide, some of which dissolves to form carbonic acid and this is affecting the alkalinity of the oceans. Many forms of marine life are highly sensitive to this. The formation of corals is being affected, as is plankton. Plankton forms the basis of the marine food chain. The increasing levels of CO2 make it harder for many species of fish and shellfish to breathe and reproduce. Changes in the ecology and chemistry of the seas and oceans reduce their ability to absorb CO2, which consequently increases the rate of global warming.

Ecosystems

ˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉ

More parts of Antarctica are covered in grass and there is a global migration of animals towards the Polar Regions, these migrations extend an average of 6.1km further from the equator each decade. Butterflies have extended their territory by some 200km.



Polar bears can starve if there is a loss of ice as they need to venture onto the ice floes in order to hunt food. In the worst-case scenario, in another 10 or 20 years, there may no longer be polar bears in some regions.

Some sources suggest that up to a quarter of the species of animals and plants could be extinct by 2100, others put the figure at between 5% and 15%.

Health and Disease

ˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉ

There are fewer deaths from cold related conditions but more from heat related conditions. Globally there are more heat related deaths than cold related deaths so the net impact is a loss of life.

Warmer temperatures increase air and water pollution thus increasing the risk to humans from infection and respiratory conditions.



Warmer temperatures are conducive to the breeding and spread of rats, mice, other rodents, ticks, mosquitoes, parasites, bacteria etc. This has lead to an increase in the number of people affected and an expansion into previously unaffected areas.

In 2007 it was calculated by the World Health Organisation that one person was dying every three minutes as a result of global warming, this figure is expected to double by 2020. The WHO also predicts that rising temperatures will result in an additional 300,000 deaths and 10 million illnesses a year by 2030. This is in addition to the tens of millions of additional cases of malaria the WHO expects to see.



Water Scarcity

ˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉ

Rising sea levels contaminate groundwater rendering it undrinkable. Higher temperatures lead to greater evaporation of fresh water from reservoirs. This is impacting on the human population as well as plants, animals and agriculture.

Changing climate patterns mean some areas are receiving less rainfall. In other areas when the rain does fall, it does so on hard, sun-baked ground that is unable to absorb it. Instead of replenishing groundwater supplies the water runs off causing flash flooding and a lowering of the water table.



Mountain Environments

ˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉ

Glaciers are melting faster than has been known before - up to 40 metres per day in some places. In the last 100 years 50% of the world’s glaciers outside the Polar Regions have melted. The effects include flooding, landslides, avalanches and loss of habitat. In some mountainous regions melt water provides a year round water supply and without the glaciers there will be near drought conditions.

Economy

ˉˉˉˉˉˉˉ

Sir Nicolas Sterm the former Vice Chairman and Chief Economist of the World Bank calculated that increased adverse weather is already costing some $600 billion a year. A temperature rise of 2 or 3°C would reduce global economic output by 3% in the short term and up to 20% ($12 trillion per year) in the long term.

Thermohaline Circulation

ˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉ

A possible effect of global warming is the failure or slowing of the ocean conveyor belts. Research is continuing and it's unclear at this time what effect, if any, global warming will have. One theory is that the melting of polar ice could reduce salinity and introduce cold water into the oceans; this could trigger a slowing or shutdown of thermohaline circulation. If this happens then parts of Europe would return to ice age conditions.

Some Other Effects

ˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉˉ

Other impacts include: increased power outages, marine food chain disruption, changes to bird migration patterns, more wildfires, erosion, disappearing beaches, damage to tundra regions, impact on ozone layer, insect infestation, threat to boreal forests, coastal erosion, threat to mountain environments, loss of wetland and marshland habitats, decline in bird population, thawing of permafrost, increased allergens, coral destruction and bleaching, impact on winter sports etc.

You're not going to find any 'real proof' of man-made Global Warming because it's an enormous HOAX !!

It's been cooling for at least 12 years.

http://www.woodfortrees.org/plot/hadcrut...

Top climate scientists say there is no man-made Global Warming.

The Great Global Warming Swindle