What happens if global warming is not controlled

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Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. Part of Global warming, explained. IPCC Extinctions: As the world warms, many plant and animal species will need to shift habitats at a rapid rate to maintain their current conditions. Global warming, explained. In some ecosystems, maximum daily temperatures might climb beyond the tolerance of indigenous plant or animal.

To survive the extreme temperatures, both marine and land-based plants and animals have started to migrate towards the poles. Those species, and in some cases, entire ecosystems, that cannot quickly migrate or adapt, face extinction. The IPCC estimates that percent of plant and animal species will be at risk of extinction if temperatures climb more than 1.

The changes to weather and ecosystems will also affect people more directly. Hardest hit will be those living in low-lying coastal areas, and residents of poorer countries who do not have the resources to adapt to changes in temperature extremes and water resources. As tropical temperature zones expand, the reach of some infectious diseases, such as malaria, will change. More intense rains and hurricanes and rising sea levels will lead to more severe flooding and potential loss of property and life.

One inevitable consequence of global warming is sea-level rise. Intense droughts can lead to an increase in malnutrition. On a longer time scale, fresh water will become scarcer, especially during the summer, as mountain glaciers disappear, particularly in Asia and parts of North America.

For example, as long as the rise in global average temperature stays below 3 degrees Celsius, some models predict that global food production could increase because of the longer growing season at mid- to high-latitudes, provided adequate water resources are available. The same small change in temperature, however, would reduce food production at lower latitudes, where many countries already face food shortages.

On balance, most research suggests that the negative impacts of a changing climate far outweigh the positive impacts. Current civilization—agriculture and population distribution—has developed based on the current climate. The more the climate changes, and the more rapidly it changes, the greater the cost of adaptation.

Ultimately, global warming will impact life on Earth in many ways, but the extent of the change is largely up to us. In response to a request from the U. Congress, the U. National Academy of Sciences published a series of peer-reviewed reports, titled America's Climate Choices , to provide authoritative analyses to inform and guide responses to climate change across the nation. Relevant to this question, the NAS report titled Limiting the Magnitude of Future Climate Change explains policies that could be adopted to slow or even reverse global warming.

The report says, "Meeting internationally discussed targets for limiting atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations and associated increases in global average temperatures will require a major departure from business as usual in how the world uses and produces energy. Transitioning to energy sources that do not emit greenhouse gases, such as solar, wind, biofuels, and nuclear, can slow the pace of climate change, though these energy sources face hurdles ranging from manufacturing capacity to debates about where to install some facilities.

Images courtesy Energy. Alternative methods to slow or reduce global warming have been proposed that are, collectively, known as "climate engineering" or "geoengineering. Other proposals involve seeding the oceans with iron to stimulate large-scale phytoplankton blooms, thereby drawing down carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere through photosynthesis.

Such methods could work, in principle, but many climate scientists oppose undertaking geoengineering until we have a much better understanding of the possible side effects.

Additionally, there are unresolved legal and ethical issues surrounding geoengineering. Given these concerns, the American Meteorological Society published a position paper readopted in January in which it said: " Indeed, geoengineering must be viewed with caution because manipulating the Earth system has considerable potential to trigger adverse and unpredictable consequences.

Martinich, J. DeAngelo, D. Diaz, B. Ekwurzel, G. What are the main threats of climate change? How is climate change affecting animals? How is climate change affecting the ocean? How is climate change affecting farms and our food? Does deforestation contribute to climate change? How much renewable energy do we need to stop climate change? How much time do we have to stop climate change?

What happens if we do nothing to stop climate change? Each of these terms refers to the same thing -- the fact that the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere is rising. As the temperature rises, various impacts are changing aspects of our climate -- hotter summers, rising ocean temperatures , melting polar ice, increased storm activity. These go beyond mere changes in the weather.

As these impacts grow in frequency and severity, they will -- and in many cases already have -- create crises for people and nature around the world.

If unchecked, these impacts will spread and worsen with more animal extinction , water shortages and displaced communities. The more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the warmer it gets. Rising temperatures from human-caused greenhouse gas emissions affects planet-wide systems in various ways. For example, it warms the polar regions and the oceans , which melts ice cover at the poles and causes sea level rise.

Climate change affects ocean habitats by lowering oxygen, decreasing phytoplankton little plants that serve as the base of marine food chains and killing coral reefs.

The warming of the atmosphere affects weather patterns, causing more frequent and severe storms and droughts across many global regions. Higher temperatures are affecting the length of seasons and in some places, are already crossing safe levels for ecosystems and humans.

Changing climates directly and indirectly cause stress to animals across the world. Many species are approaching—or have already reached—the limit of where they can go to find hospitable climates. In the polar regions, animals like polar bears that live on polar ice are now struggling to survive as that ice melts.

In the U. In another case, salmon rely on steady-flowing cold rivers to spawn. As climate change alters the temperature and flow of these waterways, some salmon populations are dwindling. This affects many species that rely on salmon like orcas or grizzly bears. In both oceans and on land, the changes in temperature and moisture are causing some species to migrate in search of new places to live. For instance, in North America, species are shifting their ranges an average of 11 miles north and 36 feet higher in elevation each decade to find more favorable conditions.

The Central Appalachians are one resilient climate escape route that may help species adapt to changing conditions. There are some natural places with enough diversity in altitude and geology such that as the planet warms, they can be resilient strongholds for plant and animal species. These strongholds serve as breeding grounds and seed banks for many plants and animals that otherwise may be unable to find habitat due to climate change. However, strongholds are not an option for all species, and some plants and animals are blocked from reaching strongholds by human development like cities, highways and farmland.

From straining agricultural systems to making regions less habitable, climate change is affecting people everywhere. You may have noticed how weather patterns near you are shifting or how more frequent and severe storms are developing in the spring.

Maybe your community is experiencing more severe flooding or wildfires. In Alaska, some entire coastal communities are being moved because the sea level has risen to the point where their original location is no longer habitable. Climate change also exacerbates the threat of human-caused conflict resulting from a scarcity of resources like food and water that are less reliable as growing seasons change and seasons become less predictable.