How Much Hotter ?
Over the next century, Earth’s surface temperature could rise faster than at any time in the last 10,000 years.
The IPCC’s 4th Assessment Report or AR4, predicts a possible temperature rise from a range of 1.8º C at the low end to 4ºC at the top if nothing is done to reduce man-made emissions now. The report goes on to suggest that this sort of temperature rise would result in more extreme weather events around the globe and more rainfall overall which will have a damaging effect in places that already have been weakened by poverty and famine.
For example, droughts are predicted become more intense and frequent in Africa as rainfall is forecast to decrease in parts of north Africa and northern Sahara and in winter rainfall for regions of south western Africa.
As a direct result of these changes, clean water and food supplies would be threatened in some of the world’s poorest countries. These countries are least equipped to deal with rapid change and the resultant changes will see more areas trying to cope with widespread outbreaks of insect-carried diseases and malnutrition.
But as temperature and rainfall patterns shift, plant and animal extinctions are predicted as habitats change faster than animals can adapt to the new conditions. Loss of species will greatly reduce biodiversity – Earth’s amazing variety of life.
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Climate Change
Quick Facts
Introduction
What is Global Warming ?
The Evidence
How Much Hotter ? <<
Pressures on Antarctica
Arguments Against It
The Political Response
Conclusion
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