What are the effects of global warming and the greenhouse effect?
Scientists agree that even a small increase in the global temperature would lead to significant climate and weather changes, affecting cloud cover, precipitation, wind patterns, the frequency and severity of storms, and the duration of seasons. • Rising temperatures would raise sea levels as well, reducing supplies of fresh water as flooding occurs along coastlines worldwide and salt water reaches inland. • Many of the world’s endangered species would become extinct as rising temperatures changed their habitat. • Millions of people also would be affected, especially poor people who live in precarious locations or depend on the land for a subsistence living. • Certain vector-borne diseases carried by animals or insects, such as malaria, would become more widespread as warmer conditions expanded their range. Carbon Dioxide Emissions are the Biggest Problem Currently, carbon dioxide accounts for more than 60 percent of the enhanced greenhouse effect caused by the increase of greenhouse ga