Finally, although rising CO 2 can stimulate plant growth, research has shown that it can also reduce the nutritional value of most food crops by reducing the concentrations of protein and essential minerals in most plant species.
Climate change can cause new patterns of pests and diseases to emerge, affecting plants, animals and humans, and posing new risks for food security, food safety and human health. In its Fifth Assessment Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of 1, independent scientific experts from countries all over the world under the auspices of the United Nations, concluded there's a more than 95 percent probability that human activities over the past 50 years have warmed our planet.
The industrial activities that our modern civilization depends upon have raised atmospheric carbon dioxide levels from parts per million to about parts per million in the last years.
The panel also concluded there's a better than 95 percent probability that human-produced greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have caused much of the observed increase in Earth's temperatures over the past plus years.
It's reasonable to assume that changes in the Sun's energy output would cause the climate to change, since the Sun is the fundamental source of energy that drives our climate system.
Indeed, studies show that solar variability has played a role in past climate changes. For example, a decrease in solar activity coupled with an increase in volcanic activity is thought to have helped trigger the Little Ice Age between approximately and , when Greenland cooled from to the s and glaciers advanced in the Alps. But several lines of evidence show that current global warming cannot be explained by changes in energy from the Sun:.
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Travel A road trip in Burgundy reveals far more than fine wine. Travel My Hometown In L. Subscriber Exclusive Content. Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars? How viruses shape our world. Hurricane-associated storm intensity and rainfall rates are projected to increase as the climate continues to warm.
This video explains the findings of this study. Global sea level has risen by about 8 inches since reliable record keeping began in It is projected to rise another 1 to 8 feet by This is the result of added water from melting land ice and the expansion of seawater as it warms.
In the next several decades, storm surges and high tides could combine with sea level rise and land subsidence to further increase flooding in many regions.
Ocean waters will therefore continue to warm and sea level will continue to rise for many centuries at rates equal to or higher than those of the current century. An indicator of changes in the Arctic sea ice minimum over time. Arctic sea ice extent both affects and is affected by global climate change.
An interactive exploration of how global warming is affecting sea ice, glaciers and continental ice sheets worldwide. Below are some of the impacts that are currently visible throughout the U.
Global Change Research Program :. Heat waves, heavy downpours and sea level rise pose growing challenges to many aspects of life in the Northeast. Infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries and ecosystems will be increasingly compromised. Many states and cities are beginning to incorporate climate change into their planning.
Changes in the timing of streamflow reduce water supplies for competing demands. Sea level rise, erosion, inundation, risks to infrastructure and increasing ocean acidity pose major threats. Increasing wildfire, insect outbreaks and tree diseases are causing widespread tree die-off.
Extreme heat will affect health, energy, agriculture and more. Avery, D. Easterling, K. Kunkel, K. Lewis, T. Maycock, and B. Stewart eds.
Ziska, L. Crimmins, A. Auclair, S. DeGrasse, J. Garofalo, A. Khan, I. Loladze, A. Showler, J. Thurston, and I. Walls We value your feedback Help us improve our content Your Email Address. Security code. February heatwave across the Far North.
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