Global Warming

Global warming has become the most talked-about environmental issue today. Governments, corporatons, and individuals around the world are debating the reality of global warming, and working on solutions. What exactly is global warming? With all of the controversies and debate about global warming, it can be hard to sort out the facts. Start here for basic information about global warming: what is it, what causes it and why is global warming a problem? The planet is warming, from North Pole to South Pole, and everywhere in between. Globally, the mercury is already up more than 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius), and even more in sensitive polar regions. And the effects of rising temperatures aren’t waiting for some far-flung future. They’re happening right now. Signs are appearing all over, and some of them are surprising. The heat is not only melting glaciers and sea ice, it’s also shifting precipitation patterns and setting animals on the move.

Some impacts from increasing temperatures are already happening.

• Ice is melting worldwide, especially at the Earth’s poles. This includes mountain glaciers, ice sheets covering West Antarctica and Greenland, and Arctic sea ice.

• Precipitation (rain and snowfall) has increased across the globe, on average.

Other effects could happen later this century, if warming continues.

• hurricanes and other storms are likely to become stronger.

• Species that depend on one another may become out of sync.

• Floods and droughts will become more common.

• Some diseases will spread, such as malaria carried by mosquitoes.

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