Why we should care:

If we do not act to stop global warming, scientists predict that the following disturbances could happen:

• By 2100, the earth’s temperature will increase by a maximum 5.8 degrees Celsius.
  
  
• Oceans will expand, glaciers will melt and the sea level will rise by 9cm to 88cm by 2100.
  
  
• Mankind will experience complicated changes in weather patterns including severe droughts, torrential floods and higher rainfall intensity.

As a result of these dramatic weather changes:

• Some animals and plants will not be able to adapt and they will become extinct. In other words, there would be changes to the earth’s biodiversity.
  
  
• A rise in sea temperatures may upset the delicate balance of marine life and put pressure on fisheries.
  
  
• The farming sector will be affected by increased weeds, pests, droughts and soil erosion.
  
  
• Properties and lives will be endangered by more frequent storms and floods.

For more information about the possible impacts of global warming , go to:
http://www.climatehotmap.org

For a summary of the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, go to:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stern_Review

Next Section >> The global response.

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