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Imminent effects of global wamring

Click on the link and navigate throught the pictures that show the effects of Global warming.

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In February 2022, the United Nations aired a dire warning: The window to reverse climate change, and its resulting "atlas of human suffering," has almost closed.

Climate change is no longer a vague hypothetical for Earth's future. Scientists agree that the effects of greenhouse gas emissions already have altered ecosystems, weather patterns, food supplies, lives and economies. From severe drought and fires to rising seas and eroding coastlines, warnings from decades ago have manifested worldwide.

These photos illustrate the state of the planet and our climate as it has changed over the past decade.

In this aerial view, sheep graze in green marshes next to much dryer, less vegetated land not far from the receding Breidamerkurjokull glacier on August 18, 2021, near Hof, Iceland. Breidamerkurjokull once covered the whole area. Since the 1990s, 90% of Iceland's glaciers have been retreating, and projections for the future show a strong reduction in the size of its ice caps.

Toxic algae

Experts at the EPA believe that climate change could lead to a spike in harmful algal blooms. The salination of fresh water, rising sea levels and elevated water temperatures can all contribute to the growth of harmful algae.

These blooms are dangerous to both humans and wildlife. They also strain coastal economies that rely on fishing and tourism.

Here, a boat sails through a deepening algae bloom across the Caloosahatchee River in Labelle, Florida.

Air pollution

Beijing is shrouded in air pollution on a winter morning. Breathing polluted air already to more than 5.5 million premature deaths a year, and researchers predict that by 2030, air pollution-related deaths could rise by 60,000 a year due to the effects of climate change.

Higher temperatures and drier conditions "can speed up the reaction rate of air pollutants that form in the atmosphere," University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill researcher Jason West explained.

Wildfires

Experts say that climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of wildfires in dry areas.

In Southern California, a years-long drought dried the scrub brush and trees on many hillsides. When temperatures and wind are high and humidity is low, a tiny spark can result in a devastating fire. In 2019, fires destroyed more than a quarter of a million acres of land and killed three people across the state. The 2020 wildfire season was even worse.

Drinking water crisis

Drinking water is a constant problem in rural Sundarban, a region that spans the coastal delta of India and Bangladesh. A girl collects water pooled above parched terrain in this photo from the Dreamstime agency.

Feeling hot

Globally, June 2019 was the hottest June in recorded history. Nine of the 10 hottest Junes on record have occurred since 2010.

People stay cool while playing in fountains Madrid, Spain, in June 2019.

Ice caps melting

An iceberg melts in Kulusuk Bay, Greenland.

Greenland is the world's largest island, and more than five-sixths of it (about 695,000 square miles) is covered in ice. That's an area roughly 14 times the size of England. So, if all of that ice were to melt - and it is melting fast - world sea levels would rise more than 19 feet.

In short, it would not be good.

Record-breaking temps

Federal scientists say 2020 and 2016 were "effectively tied" as the hottest year ever recorded since we began tracking global temperatures in 1880. The second-hottest year ever? 2019 holds that dubious honor.

In this 2015 photo, a woman cools herself on a hot summer day in Hyderabad, in southern India.

Iceberg adrift

A huge iceberg floating on the Arctic Ocean.

In April 2017, more than 400 icebergs drifted into North Atlantic shipping lanes. Experts attributed it to uncommonly strong counter-clockwise winds drawing the icebergs south, and perhaps also global warming accelerating the process by which chunks of the Greenland ice sheet break off and float away.

Christina Capatides

First published on September 1, 2015 / 11:12 AM

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In February 2022, the United Nations aired a dire warning: The window to reverse climate change, and its resulting "atlas of human suffering," has almost closed. Climate change is no longer a vague hypothetical for Earth's future. Scientists agree that the effects of greenhouse gas emissions already have altered ecosystems, weather patterns, food supplies, lives and economies.

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What do you know about climate change?

Write a few sentences with what you understand or believe that climate change is.

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Read the following article.

Objective: Summarize and reflect on the information learned from the reading material.

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‘Everyone has an impact’: how to start reducing your environmental footprint

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As fires tear through California and Trump sets back efforts to curb the rise of global temperatures, what can individuals do to make a difference?

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Now read the full article carefully. As you read, click on only 3 hyperlinks. Choose ones that interest you the most.

Post your answers here!

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In your assigned groups, access the Padlet wall titled "Key Takeaways".

Each group should create a post that includes:

Three key points from the article.

One new piece of information learned from the hyperlinks.

One actionable step you can take to be more environmentally friendly.