Consequences and Effects of Global Warming

The effects of global warming are fact, not fiction, and their impact on daily life is noticeable -- at least to those who aren't covering their eyes and pretending the world cannot change. From that start of the nineteenth century back, the sea level has been almost constant; past 1900, however, ocean levels have risen at a steady rate (About .1 mm a year.) Since 1992, the water levels have been rising at a rate of 3mm per year. This happens because ice at the polar caps melts, shifts positions, and allows water that had been previously locked away to flow into the ocean.
 
These drastic effects of global warming are the result of a steady rise in the Earth's average temperature--1.3 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the recorded average through the 1950's-80's. This is NOT a small number; it is the result of temperature rises averaged out over thousands of different sites.  As the northern regions cool, their ability to help maintain the temperature of the rest of the world lessens, which helps turn global warming into a self perpetuating problem. If the effects of global warming are not stopped, or significantly slowed, it could very well take on a life of its own, and humanity will be unable to prevent it.
 
The average increase of the world's temperate from the effects of global warming has heated the world's oceans, particularly the Atlantic. This decreases the amount of deadly carbon dioxide that the water can absorb. A report from the BBC claims that this has already raised the acidity level of the oceans to a degree that is unalterable in our lifetimes.
 
Glacial retreat, another of the effects of global warming, does not merely impact the water levels of the ocean.  While the glaciers at the poles melt, so do other important glaciers, such as the Hindu Kush. During the dry season in such regions, the slow glacial melt has always been a dependable water source--once that renewed itself again in the cold seasons. But as the temperature of the earth rises, these sources of water have started to recede entirely. When they vanish, some of the most heavily populated areas on earth will have lost a primary source of water.
 
Temperature increases have also ensured a steady rise in forest fires, which are assuredly self perpetuating effects of global warming. Trees burn, releasing hundreds of years worth of carbon back into the air--and then that carbon helps increase the world temperature, causing more fires.
 
All of this has a negative environmental impact; but the economic consequences cannot be ignored.  Global warming is leading to a massive decline in edible crops, drinkable water, and a huge increase in natural disasters. One of the first industries to take a significant hit has been the Insurance industry, as floods, hurricanes, and fires have all been on the rise.
 
The cost of building flood defenses at coastal cities will rise, likely increasing the cost of imports altogether. We've already learned what a lack of good flood defense can do; unless New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina taught nothing. Areas where flood defenses are not economically viable will have to be evacuated, and this will lead to greater issues with population compaction – yet another of the many effects of global warming.
 
Global warming is not scientific bunk, and it is not some "tree hugging" fad. It is a serious problem that the global community needs to correct, and soon before the effects of global warming take their toll.