What are the long-term effects of climate change?
Scientists have predicted that long-term effects of climate change will include a decrease in sea ice and an increase in permafrost thawing, an increase in heat waves and heavy precipitation, and decreased water resources in semi-arid regions.
Below are some of the regional impacts of global change forecast by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change:
- North America: Decreasing snowpack in the western mountains; 5-20 percent increase in yields of rain-fed agriculture in some regions; increased frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves in cities that currently experience them.
- Latin America: Gradual replacement of tropical forest by savannah in eastern Amazonia; risk of significant biodiversity loss through species extinction in many tropical areas; significant changes in water availability for human consumption, agriculture and energy generation.
- Europe: Increased risk of inland flash floods; more frequent coastal flooding and increased erosion from storms and sea level rise; glacial retreat in mountainous areas; reduced snow cover and winter tourism; extensive species losses; reductions of crop productivity in southern Europe.
- Africa: Between 75 and 250 million people are projected to be exposed to increased water stress; yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50 percent in some regions; agricultural production, including access to food, may be severely compromised.
- Asia: Freshwater availability projected to decrease in Central, South, East and Southeast Asia by the 2050s; coastal areas will be at risk due to increased flooding; death rate from disease associated with floods and droughts expected to rise in some regions.
Related Content
Filter Total Items: 14
Detecting Evidence of Climate Change in the Forests of the Eastern United States
Changes in land use or disturbances such as defoliation by insects, disease, or fire all affect the composition and amount of tree canopy in a forest. These changes are easy to detect. Noticing and understanding the complex ways that global or regional-scale climate change combines with these disturbances to affect forest growth patterns and succession is difficult. This is particularly true for r
Authors
John Jones, Jesse D. Osborne
Sea level change: lessons from the geologic record
Rising sea level is potentially one of the
most serious impacts of climatic change. Even
a small sea level rise would have serious
economic consequences because it would
cause extensive damage to the world's coastal
regions. Sea level can rise in the future
because the ocean surface can expand due to
warming and because polar ice sheets and
mountain glaciers can melt, increasing the
ocean
Authors
Related Content
- FAQ
- Multimedia
No results found.
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 14
Detecting Evidence of Climate Change in the Forests of the Eastern United States
Changes in land use or disturbances such as defoliation by insects, disease, or fire all affect the composition and amount of tree canopy in a forest. These changes are easy to detect. Noticing and understanding the complex ways that global or regional-scale climate change combines with these disturbances to affect forest growth patterns and succession is difficult. This is particularly true for rAuthorsJohn Jones, Jesse D. OsborneSea level change: lessons from the geologic record
Rising sea level is potentially one of the most serious impacts of climatic change. Even a small sea level rise would have serious economic consequences because it would cause extensive damage to the world's coastal regions. Sea level can rise in the future because the ocean surface can expand due to warming and because polar ice sheets and mountain glaciers can melt, increasing the oceanAuthors - News