Why be concerned about global warming

Global climate is projected to continue to change over this century and beyond. Go backward and forward in time with this interactive visualization that illustrates how the Earth's climate has changed in recent history.

Because human-induced warming is superimposed on a naturally varying climate, the temperature rise has not been, and will not be, uniform or smooth across the country or over time. The length of the frost-free season and the corresponding growing season has been increasing nationally since the s, with the largest increases occurring in the western United States, affecting ecosystems and agriculture. Across the United States, the growing season is projected to continue to lengthen.

In a future in which heat-trapping gas emissions continue to grow, increases of a month or more in the lengths of the frost-free and growing seasons are projected across most of the U. The largest increases in the frost-free season more than eight weeks are projected for the western U. The increases will be considerably smaller if heat-trapping gas emissions are reduced. This NASA visualization presents observational evidence that the growing season climatological spring is occurring earlier in the Northern Hemisphere.

Average U. More winter and spring precipitation is projected for the northern United States, and less for the Southwest, over this century. Projections of future climate over the U. This trend is projected to occur even in regions where total precipitation is expected to decrease, such as the Southwest.

These NASA visualizations show model projections of the precipitation changes from to as a percentage difference between the year precipitation averages and the average. The official website for NASA's fleet of Earth science missions that study rainfall and other types precipitation around the globe.

How much do you know about Earth's water cycle and the crucial role it plays in our climate? Droughts in the Southwest and heat waves periods of abnormally hot weather lasting days to weeks everywhere are projected to become more intense, and cold waves less intense everywhere. Summer temperatures are projected to continue rising, and a reduction of soil moisture, which exacerbates heat waves, is projected for much of the western and central U.

By the end of this century, what have been once-inyear extreme heat days one-day events are projected to occur every two or three years over most of the nation. Loss of insects, which are a primary food source for many animals, a key pollinator of plants and whose numbers are already plummeting , could cause the ecosystem to collapse.

In aquatic ecosystems, activities to mitigate the side effects of climate change, such as building hard flood defences, can have negative effects. As sea levels rise, sea walls reduce the space for intertidal ecosystems.

A rising sea could also damage important coastal habitats like sand dunes and cliffs. Joeri says, 'The ocean looks homogenous, but it also experiences variations. There are ocean heatwaves, where if a particularly warm mass of water comes to an area like coral reefs, it induces loss and mass dieback.

The loss of Arctic sea ice takes away a key habitat from animals including polar bears, seals and walruses. Climate change is just one of the stressors currently impacting nature.

Sea use, invasive species, pollution and the exploitation of organisms are all factors in the threat to nature. Without drastic changes , it's expected that there will be devastating changes in biodiversity and ecosystems. Climate change has been a known problem for around 30 years. Starting to fix it earlier might have made this daunting task much easier. Joeri says, 'We definitely know how to reduce emissions to a significant degree.

We are seeing more impacts of climate change, but we can also see a heightened interest and concern in the general public. Over the past decades, scientists have estimated the potential impacts of the planet's average temperature rising by different amounts.

They want to be well below that and pursue efforts to make it as close as possible to 1. The difference in outcomes between 1. Scientists have determined how much carbon dioxide can still be emitted before this temperature rise limit will be exceeded.

This is called the carbon budget and it's relatively small. Joeri says, 'It's currently to billion tonnes of carbon dioxide for having a two-in-three or a one-in-two chance of limiting warming to 1. So, if you start today and are going to net-zero emissions , if you want a one-in-two chance, we should there by around mid-century. Scientists then use engineering and economic models to understand how we can transform society to stay within that emission limit.

There are many ways that you can help the planet. One way is by reducing the amount of meat and dairy you eat. This transformation could include changes such as increasing the share of energy produced by renewables, changing the way food is produced, changing our diets to have a lower carbon footprint and changing the way we build houses and design cities.

Moving to net-zero emissions will not be a perfectly co-ordinated transition. It will take some countries to lead and show the world that moving to this new way of living and functioning is both possible and beneficial for other sustainability objectives, such as public health and food security. In the run up to the global UN conferences of COP15 on biodiversity and COP26 on climate change, join us as we debate why and how our relationship with the natural world needs to change.

Get email updates about our news, science, exhibitions, events, products, services and fundraising activities. You must be over the age of Privacy notice. Smart cookie preferences. Change cookie preferences Accept all cookies. Skip to content. Read later. You don't have any saved articles. Reduce your own carbon footprint by taking a few easy steps: Make conserving energy a part of your daily routine and your decisions as a consumer. When you buy a car, look for one with the highest gas mileage and lowest emissions.

You can also reduce your emissions by taking public transportation or carpooling when possible. And while new federal and state standards are a step in the right direction, much more needs to be done.

Demand Climate Action Learn More. This story was originally published on March 11, and has been updated with new information and links. The western city of Ahmedabad is preparing residents to cope with the longer and more intense heat waves sweeping across South Asia—and inspiring other Indian cities and states to follow suit.

The most widespread, damaging storms on earth are getting worse, and climate change is a big reason why. The U. Healing the planet starts at home—in your garage, in your kitchen, and at your dining-room table. Short answer: Yes. Even a seemingly slight average temperature rise is enough to cause a dramatic transformation of our planet.

How smog, soot, greenhouse gases, and other top air pollutants are affecting the planet—and your health. As temperatures and carbon levels rise, even breathing has become a challenge.

NRDC senior attorney Ben Longstreth explains how plaintiffs for these cases get chosen—and how you can help advance the cause in or out of the courtroom. Gun-control activists want to use financial levers to curtail firearm sales. Can we do the same for carbon emissions?

We will keep you informed with the latest alerts and progress reports. The answer is, a lot. Higher temperature thresholds will adversely impact increasingly larger percentages of life on Earth, with significant variations by region, ecosystem and species.

For some species, it literally means life or death. The impacts of global warming are being felt everywhere, from rising sea levels to more extreme weather, more frequent wildfires, and heatwaves and increased drought, to name a few. Because our society has been built around the climate Earth has had for the past approximately 10, years, when it changes noticeably, as it has done in recent decades, people begin to take notice.

A December report by Yale and George Mason Universities found that seven in 10 Americans think global warming is happening, with about six in 10 saying it is mostly caused by humans. We live in a world bound by the laws of physics. When that water flows downward into the ocean, it raises global sea level. Similarly, temperature plays a critical role in biology. We all know the average temperature of a healthy adult human is about 37 degrees Celsius Our bodies are optimized to run at a certain temperature.

According to most studies, humans feel most comfortable, are most productive and function best when the ambient temperature around us is roughly 22 degrees Celsius