The Effects of Global Warming and What it Means to You and Me

Have you ever listened to discussions and read articles about global warming and wondered why the resource person or the writer appears so emphatic and urgent in their call for fighting it? Well that is because global warming is an urgent problem that needs immediate action and resolution before it gets worse and could spell the end of human life and civilization as we see it today.

Broadly speaking, global warming is the steady increase of the atmosphere’s and ocean’s average temperature. And before you go saying ‘Big deal’ to yourself and scoff at the near-catastrophic predictions made by scientists and advocates, consider first some of the expected effects of global warming to our environment and to our very lives.

One of the most pronounced effects of global warming would be glacial retreat, in which glaciers in the Arctic region may be steadily melting. This translates to elevation of sea levels all over the world, raising concerns over obliteration of small islands and even countries. Global warming is also attributed to influence precipitation, leading to the possibility of increased flooding in some parts of the world and increased drought elsewhere. What’s scary about these projected changes is the complete inability of man to counteract and prevent them once these events start happening.

But then again, global warming effects are not solely manifested in the environment. Consider the effect of increased drought and flooding to food supply, and ultimately, to food consumption. Agriculture is one large sector expecting to bear the worst of the brunt of global warming, with lesser and lesser produce and crops expected to be harvested in the next decade or so. Now that is really scary, considering we all get a large portion of our food supply from farms.

Weather experts are also predicting extreme weather events due to global warming, ranging from severe snowstorms to intense cyclones and hurricanes in tropical areas.

The increase in the average temperature of oceans in our planet also means dwindling in the supply of our other food source. The rest of the world might not come to realize how fragile most of the sea organisms are and expected changes in temperature would bring about extinction to most of them. Carbon dioxide, the main culprit of global warming, is also expected to acidify ocean waters, leading to more extinction and disruption of the food web.

It is also worth considering the impact of global warming on human health as well. With increasing surface temperature, heat waves are expected to occur more frequently, possibly endangering children and the elderly. Many pathogens proliferate much faster in warm environment. Increasing atmospheric temperature could very well mean faster proliferation of these pathogens that would cause numerous diseases and illnesses to humans. There is also expected spread of fatal tropical diseases as the world becomes warmer and warmer, placing those living in temperate regions at higher risks.

The mentioned risks and dangers are but overviews of the complexity and gravity of the problem that is global warming. A lot of resources and references have been published and produced on the subject matter and it’s time people should sit up and make effort to learn more. With increasing knowledge and understanding, the fight against global warming would no longer seem to be overwhelming and insurmountable. And as cliché as it may sound, this is one fight nobody can ever win alone, so concerted efforts are certainly needed and cooperation from all sectors would be very much welcome.