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Climate change: the impacts |
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Climate change will impact our lives, our environment and our economies.
Climate change devastates lives
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Climate change could kill up to 180 million people in Africa Source: Christian Aid
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- 100 million more people will be flooded by end of century
Source: Friends of the Earth
- 30 million more people may be hungry because of climate change by 2050
Source: The Hadley Centre
- Rising sea levels and crop failures could create 150 million refugees by 2100
Source: Stop Climate Chaos
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Hurricane Katrina caused flooding, death and widespread chaos in New Orleans in 2005
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Climate change devastates the environment
- Up to a third of land-based species could face extinction by the middle of the century
Source: RSPB
- Global warming will submerge many low-lying island nations
Source: Stop Climate Chaos
- Global warming is heating the Arctic almost twice as fast as the rest of the planet in a thaw that could wipe out polar bears
Source: Arctic Climate Impact Assessment
- If the Arctic ice continues to melt sea levels could rise by up to 7m. This would overwhelm countries like Bangladesh and also major cities like London and New York
Source: People and Planet
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Warmer and drier weather significantly increases the risk of forest fires
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Climate change could make the polar bear extinct by the end of the century
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Climate change devastates economies
- The direct costs from the 2003 European heatwave were over £5bn for agriculture and over £4bn for buildings
Source: CNN
- The annual bill for flood damage could increase by up to £82 billion across Europe
Source: Association of British Insurers
- The economic costs of global warming are doubling every decade
Source: United Nations
 | But isn't it nice if it gets a bit warmer?
No, unfortunately it's not. Climate change is not good news for anyone, even for countries with a climate like the UK.
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Hotter summers will mean more water shortages, fires and damage to crops and wildlife. Wetter winters will mean rising river levels and heavy flooding. The cost to society, the environment, our health and the economy far outweighs any potential benefits.
The Potential "Tipping Point"
If we continue emitting greenhouse gases in the way have in recent decades then in addition to the risks associated with extreme weather events, there is also an increasing likelihood of a severe, irreversible and abrupt climate change.
Permanent shifts in weather patterns have happened on various occasions in the history of our planet, for example in the ice ages. But will our activities really trigger another one?
One such event would be the shutdown of the ocean conveyor, the ocean currents which deliver vast amounts of heat these regions. The thawing of the Arctic ice triggered by temperature increases could potentially disrupt or even halt the operation of these currents. If this were to happen, average temperatures could drop by as much as 10°C.
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The vital global ocean conveyor between colder (deep) and warmer (surface) water
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So the great irony is that the "global warming" we are experiencing could actually plunge North America and Western Europe into a deep freeze, possibly within only a few decades.
Click here to read a NASA report about the potential shutdown of the ocean conveyor.
In Summary
The increasing levels of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere are causing the world to heat up. There's overwhelming scientific evidence, not only that climate change is happening, but also that it's caused by our activities. Unless we take action to stop climate change the effects on our lives, our environment and our economies will be devastating.
Action required: read about the actions needed to reduce carbon emissions and stop climate change before it's too late.
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Global map of climate change predicted in 2006 from Maplecroft.
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