What are the adverse effects of green house effect?
Answers
Answer:
The increase in the average temperature on Earth is changing living conditions on the planet. Let's find out about the main consequences of this phenomenon:
Thawing of glacial masses
Glacial retreat also has its own consequences: reduced albedo — the percentage of solar radiation that the earth's surface reflects or returns to the atmosphere —, a global rise in sea level and the release of large methane columns are only some of them, however, they are all dramatic for the planet.
Flooding of islands and coastal cities
As stated in the fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2014), during the period 1901-2010 the global average sea level rose 19 centimetres. It is estimated that by 2100 the sea level will be between 15 and 90 centimetres higher than it is now and will threaten 92 million people.
Hurricanes will be more devastating
The intensification of the greenhouse effect does not cause these extreme climatic events, but it does increase there intensity. Hurricanes are connected with sea temperature — they only form over waters that have a temperature of at least 26.51 ºC —.
Migration of species
Many animal species will be forced to migrate in order to survive the changes in the main climatic patterns altered by the progressive increase in temperatures. Human beings will also have to move: according to the World Bank, by 2050 the number of people forced to flee their homes due to extreme droughts or violent floods could reach 140 million.
Desertification of fertile areas
Global warming is having a profound impact on the processes of soil degradation and is contributing to the desertification of the most arid areas on the planet. Desertification destroys all the biological potential of affected regions, turning them into barren and unproductive land. As recognised by the UN on the occasion of the World Day to Combat Desertification in 2018, 30% of land has been degraded and lost its real value.
Impact on agriculture and livestock
Global warming has already altered the length of the growing season in large parts of the planet. Similarly, changes in temperatures and seasons are influencing the proliferation of insects, invasive weeds and diseases that can affect crops. The same is happening with livestock: climatic changes are directly affecting important species in multiple ways: reproduction, metabolism, diseases, etc.