Effects | Facts – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet 18/09/2023, 18:06

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EFFECTS

The Effects of Climate

Change
The effects of human-caused global warming are happening
now, are irreversible for people alive today, and will worsen
as long as humans add greenhouse gases to the
atmosphere.

Facts › Effects

TAKEAWAYS
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Our Trajectory We already see effects scientists

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Future Effects predicted, such as the loss of sea ice,

in the U.S.
melting glaciers and ice sheets, sea
U.S. Regional
Effects level rise, and more intense heat
waves.
References
Scientists predict global temperature
increases from human-made
greenhouse gases will continue.
Severe weather damage will also
increase and intensify.

En español

Earth Will Continue to

Warm and the Effects Will
Be Profound

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The potential future effects of global climate change include more frequent wildfires, longer periods
of drought in some regions, and an increase in the wind intensity and rainfall from tropical
cyclones. Credit: left - Mike McMillan/USFS, center - Tomas Castelazo / Wikimedia Commons / CC
BY-SA 4.0, right - NASA.

Global climate change is not a future

problem. Changes to Earth’s climate driven
by increased human emissions of heat-
trapping greenhouse gases are already
having widespread effects on the
environment: glaciers and ice sheets are
shrinking, river and lake ice is breaking up
earlier, plant and animal geographic ranges
are shifting, and plants and trees are
blooming sooner.

Effects that scientists had long predicted

would result from global climate change are
now occurring, such as sea ice loss,

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accelerated sea level rise, and longer, more

intense heat waves.

"The magnitude and rate of

climate change and
associated risks depend
strongly on near-term
mitigation and adaptation
actions, and projected
adverse impacts and
related losses and
damages escalate with
every increment of global
warming."
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Some changes (such as droughts, wildfires,

and extreme rainfall) are happening faster
than scientists previously assessed. In fact,
according to the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) — the United
Nations body established to assess the
science related to climate change — modern
humans have never before seen the

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observed changes in our global climate, and

some of these changes are irreversible over
the next hundreds to thousands of years.

Scientists have high confidence that global

temperatures will continue to rise for many
decades, mainly due to greenhouse gases
produced by human activities.

The IPCC’s
Sixth
A Degree Assessment
of report,
Difference published in
So, the Earth's 2021, found
average
that human
temperature
has increased emissions of
about 2 heat-trapping
degrees
gases have
Fahrenheit
during the 20th already
century. What's warmed the
the big deal?
climate by
Read more nearly 2
degrees
Fahrenheit
1
(1.1 degrees Celsius) since 1850-1900. The
global average temperature is expected to
reach or exceed 1.5 degrees C (about 3
degrees F) within the next few decades.
These changes will affect all regions of Earth.

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The severity of effects caused by climate What’s

change will depend on the path of future the
human activities. More greenhouse gas difference
between
emissions will lead to more climate extremes
climate
and widespread damaging effects across our
change
planet. However, those future effects depend
and
on the total amount of carbon dioxide we global
emit. So, if we can reduce emissions, we warming?
may avoid some of the worst effects.

"The scientific evidence is

unequivocal: climate
change is a threat to human
wellbeing and the health of
the planet. Any further
delay in concerted global
action will miss the brief,
rapidly closing window to
2
secure a liveable future."
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

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Future
effects of
global U.S. Sea
Level Likely
climate to Rise 1 to
change in 6.6 Feet by
2100
the United Global sea level has

States: risen about 8 inches

(0.2 meters) since
reliable record-
keeping began in
1880. By 2100,
Here are some scientists project that
of the it will rise at least
expected another foot (0.3
effects of meters), but possibly
global climate as high as 6.6 feet (2
change on the meters) in a high-
United States, emissions scenario.
according to Sea level is rising
the Third and because of added
Fourth water from melting
National land ice and the
Climate expansion of
Assessment seawater as it warms.
Reports.

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Climate
Changes Will
Continue
Through This
Century and
Beyond
Global climate is
projected to continue
warming over this
century and beyond.

Hurricanes
Will Become
Stronger and
More Intense
Scientists project that
hurricane-associated
storm intensity and
rainfall rates will
increase as the
climate continues to
warm.

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More
Droughts and
Heat Waves
Droughts in the
Southwest and heat
waves (periods of
abnormally hot
weather lasting days
to weeks) are
projected to become
more intense, and
cold waves less
intense and less
frequent.

Longer
Wildfire
Season

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Warming
temperatures have
extended and
intensified wildfire
season in the West,
where long-term
drought in the region
has heightened the
risk of fires. Scientists
estimate that human-
caused climate
change has already
doubled the area of
forest burned in
recent decades. By
around 2050, the
amount of land
consumed by wildfires
in Western states is
projected to further
increase by two to six
times. Even in
traditionally rainy
regions like the
Southeast, wildfires
are projected to
increase by about
30%.

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Changes in
Precipitation
Patterns
Climate change is
having an uneven
effect on precipitation
(rain and snow) in the
United States, with
some locations
experiencing
increased
precipitation and
flooding, while others
suffer from drought.
On average, more
winter and spring
precipitation is
projected for the
northern United
States, and less for
the Southwest, over
this century.

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Frost-Free
Season (and
Growing
Season) will
Lengthen
The length of the
frost-free season, and
the corresponding
growing season, has
been increasing since
the 1980s, with the
largest increases
occurring in the
western United
States. Across the
United States, the
growing season is
projected to continue
to lengthen, which will
affect ecosystems
and agriculture.

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Effects | Facts – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet 18/09/2023, 18:06

Global
Temperatures
Will Continue
to Rise
July 2023 was the
hottest month on
record, 0.43 degrees
Fahrenheit (F) (0.24
degrees Celsius (C))
warmer than any
other July in NASA’s
record as compared
to the 1951-1980
baseline.

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Arctic Is Very
Likely to
Become Ice-
Free
Sea ice cover in the
Arctic Ocean is
expected to continue
decreasing, and the
Arctic Ocean will very
likely become
essentially ice-free in
late summer if current
projections hold. This
change is expected to
occur before mid-
century.

U.S. Regional Effects

Climate change is bringing different types of
challenges to each region of the country.
Some of the current and future impacts are
summarized below. These findings are from

3 4
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3 4
the Third and Fourth National Climate
Assessment Reports, released by the U.S.
Global Change Research Program.

Northeast. Heat waves, heavy

Is it too
downpours, and sea level rise pose
late to
increasing challenges to many aspects of prevent
life in the Northeast. Infrastructure, climate
agriculture, fisheries, and ecosystems will change?
be increasingly compromised. Farmers
can explore new crop options, but these
adaptations are not cost- or risk-free.
Moreover, adaptive capacity, which varies
throughout the region, could be
overwhelmed by a changing climate.
Many states and cities are beginning to
incorporate climate change into their
planning.

Northwest. Changes in the timing of

peak flows in rivers and streams are
reducing water supplies and worsening
competing demands for water. Sea level
rise, erosion, flooding, risks to
infrastructure, and increasing ocean
acidity pose major threats. Increasing
wildfire incidence and severity, heat
waves, insect outbreaks, and tree
diseases are causing widespread forest
die-off.

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Southeast. Sea level rise poses

widespread and continuing threats to the
region’s economy and environment.
Extreme heat will affect health, energy,
agriculture, and more. Decreased water
availability will have economic and
environmental impacts.

Midwest. Extreme heat, heavy

downpours, and flooding will affect
infrastructure, health, agriculture, forestry,
transportation, air and water quality, and
more. Climate change will also worsen a
range of risks to the Great Lakes.

Southwest. Climate change has caused

increased heat, drought, and insect
outbreaks. In turn, these changes have
made wildfires more numerous and
severe. The warming climate has also
caused a decline in water supplies,
reduced agricultural yields, and triggered
heat-related health impacts in cities. In
coastal areas, flooding and erosion are
additional concerns.

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References
1. IPCC 2021, Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science
Basis, the Working Group I contribution to the Sixth
Assessment Report, Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge, UK.

2. IPCC, 2013: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate

Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution
of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Stocker,
T.F., D. Qin, G.-K. Plattner, M. Tignor, S.K. Allen, J.
Boschung, A. Nauels, Y. Xia, V. Bex and P.M. Midgley
(eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United
Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.

3. USGCRP 2014, Third Climate Assessment.

4. USGCRP 2017, Fourth Climate Assessment.

Recent News & Features

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