Effects of Global Warming

700 Words2 Pages

One of the biggest problems the world faces today is global warming. It refers to an increase in average global temperature that causes change in climate and affects other resources in the world. Global temperatures have significantly increased over the past few decades. According to the Global temperature statistics by NASA, the average temperature has increased from -0.22 Degree Celsius in 1880 to +0.56 Degree Celsius in 2012 (NASA, n.d.). This essay will examine the main effects of global warming by looking at the threats to wildlife and habitat, rise in sea level, and health impacts on humans.
One main effect of global warming is the threat to wildlife and habitat. The increase in global warming disrupts wildlife species and causes extinction to animals that cannot adapt (NRDC, n.d.). One example is the decrease in polar bear population. As the ice continues to melt, some polar bears are drowning because they have to swim longer distances to reach the ice sheets. The U.S. Geological Survey has predicted that two-thirds of today’s polar bear population will be gone by 2050 due to the melting of the Arctic ice cap (New England Aquarium, 2013; USGS, 2007). Researchers of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said, “Without enough sea ice, the bears’ disappearance probably take place as young cubs failed to survive to adulthood and females were unable to reproduce successfully” (Zabarenko, 2013). Animals that live on ice are not the only ones who affected by global warming. Many species on land are also affected due to climate change. Another specie that is declining in population is moose. The New Hampshire moose population has plummeted by more than 40 percent in the last decade from 7,500 moose to 4,500 today (National Wildlife Federation, 2013). The number of moose is shrinking because global warming is causing shorter winter, which means less parasitic ticks on moose are dying. This causes moose to become so heavily infested with ticks that they eventually become anemic and die (Ross, 2013).
Rise in sea level is another effect of global warming. The melting of glacier ice in Arctic leads to an increase in sea level (Poore, Williams, & Tracey, 2001). According to the U.S. Environment Protection Agency, global sea levels have risen about 8 inches from 1880 – 2009, and the rate of the increase is expected to accelerate in coming years.

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