Temperature Rise
As the concentration of greenhouse gases increases, so does the global temperature of the Earth’s surface. The last decade, 2011-2020, was the warmest on record. Since the 1980s, each decade has been warmer than the previous one. Almost all land areas have seen an increase in the number of hot days and periods of abnormal heat. Rising temperatures increase the number of heat-related illnesses and make it more difficult to work outdoors.
Worsening storms.
Many regions have experienced an increase in the intensity and frequency of destructive storms. As temperatures rise, more moisture evaporates, increasing heavy rainfall and flooding, causing more dangerous storms. The frequency and magnitude of tropical storms is also affected by ocean warming. Cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons form in warm waters near the surface of the ocean.
Increasing drought
Climate change is changing the availability of water, making it a more scarce resource in a growing number of regions. Global warming exacerbates water scarcity in already water-stressed regions and increases the risk of agricultural droughts that affect crops and environmental droughts that increase ecosystem vulnerability. Droughts can also cause devastating sand and dust storms that can move billions of tons of sand across continents.
Warming and rising ocean levels
The ocean absorbs most of the heat generated by global warming. The rate at which the ocean warms has increased dramatically at all depths over the past twenty years. As the ocean warms, its volume increases as the water expands as it warms. Melting ice sheets are also causing sea levels to rise, threatening coastal and island communities. In addition, the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Species extinction
Climate change poses risks to the survival of species on land and in the ocean. These risks increase as temperatures rise. A world made worse by climate change is losing species a thousand times faster than at any time in recorded human history. One million species are at risk of extinction over the next few decades.
Food shortages
Among the causes of the global rise in the prevalence of hunger and malnutrition are climate change and an increase in extreme weather events. Fisheries, crops, and livestock may be destroyed or become less productive. Marine resources that provide food for billions of people are threatened by ocean acidification.