Greenhouse gas emissions and their effects on Earth over the next decade

Greenhouse Gases

Increased greenhouse gases will have a significant effect on the earth in the coming 10-20 years. Greenhouse gases are emitted through a number of activities, including the combustion of fossil fuels and from the flatulence of livestock. The gases rise in the atmosphere and form a layer that traps heat into the lower levels of the atmosphere. The greenhouse effect results in a warming of the surface-level air, which causes an increase in temperature. The greenhouse effect also spurs a feedback loop in which polar ice melts, reducing the ability of the earth to cool itself. Also, when subarctic tundra melts due to the increased temperature, it releases more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, further accelerating the warming.

The melting of the sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic regions is one of the most significant outcomes of increased greenhouse gases. This is already occurring, and the Arctic could experience its first entirely ice-free summer within the next 10-20 years. There are a number of impacts that this will have, from threatening the feeding grounds polar bears thereby putting them at risk of extinction to causing a significant rise in global sea levels. Given how many people live at low altitudes, close to sea level, a rise is seal levels represents an existential threat not only to billions of people but also to significant portions of the infrastructure that we have developed for our world. In addition, warmer Arctic areas are changing the balance of species, with northern species becoming threatened and southern species moving into that territory.

Another significant impact of global warming is an increase in precipitation around the world, on average, and an overall change in most climates. Some areas that are currently prone to dryness will become increasingly dry. In the United States and India, this dryness threatens critical grain-growing regions. Thus, it is felt that food shortages might increase if grain harvests begin to suffer. Some areas of Russia and Canada, however, may see increased grain production as more northern areas become arable. For areas that are expecting more rainfall, not all of these areas have the ability to handle increased rain. Rain may come in the form of storms and hurricanes, which are predicted to increase. These events are catastrophic, causing significant damage. Even without the high winds, increased heavy rainfall can result in severe flooding. Some of the recent floods in places like Australia and Spain have been cited as examples of the kinds of weather events that will occur with greater frequency if the world's atmosphere becomes warmer.

Health will also be affected, usually adversely, and in multiple ways. Wetter conditions will increase the spread of mosquitos, which in turn spread malaria and dengue fever, among other deadly diseases. Heat waves will be more intense, again resulting in increased deaths. In addition, despite increased precipitation, fresh water will become increasingly scarce. Many people will start to see their sources of water diminish. A few countries, like Yemen and Bolivia, are already beginning to see their water supplies diminish to dangerous levels and more countries are likely to see this happen in the next 10-20 years.