What happens if the Earth continues to heat up?

Global warming effect changes rainfall, increases coastal erosion, extends cultivation time, defrostes and outbreaks of disease.

According to scientists , human influence is the number one cause of global warming, especially due to deforestation and increased carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels. CO2, methane and other chemicals emitted by the human atmosphere act as a curtain, retaining heat from the sun and warming the earth. This changes the climate of the Earth, including land, atmosphere, ocean and ice.

The ice on the two ends of the pole is melting fast.(Photo: National Geographic).

Higher temperatures also make natural disasters more severe, including storms, floods, heat and droughts. Hot climates create an atmosphere that can capture, store and release more water, causing flooded areas to become more inundated and dry areas become drier.

Long hot sunshine

The prolonged heatwaves caused the land to dry up, causing scarcity of clean water, widespread forest fire uncontrolled, dust storms and flash floods. In many parts of the world, lack of water leads to serious epidemics. In contrast, heavy rain causes rivers and lakes to overflow, destroy houses, cause contaminated drinking water, spread garbage and air pollution. At the same time, hot and humid conditions also facilitate the spread of disease through water and food development, as well as pathogenic insects such as mosquitoes, lice . grow.

Scientists also point out that climate change is the 'biggest global health threat of the 21st century'. This has the strongest impact on children, the elderly, poor communities and ethnic minorities. With the increasing number of hot days in areas that have never happened before, people have no air conditioning or are not eligible to pay. Prolonged heat waves will lead to heavy damage to human health, such as stroke, sunstroke, heart disease, kidney .

The prolonged heat waves affect human health.(Photo: Vox).

The air is dirtier

Rising temperatures also exacerbate air pollution by thickening the ozone layer (when emissions from vehicles, factories and other sources respond to sunlight and temperature). The ground ozone layer is the main factor causing photochemical smog, and the higher the temperature, the thicker this layer of fog. Dirty air causes an increase in hospitalization and death rates in asthma patients, worsening the condition of people with heart or lung disease.

The rate of extinction increased

When the ground and the ocean experience rapid and powerful changes, the plants and animals will disappear without adapting. Many terrestrial and aquatic animals have moved to cooler areas or to greater heights to escape global warming. They also change seasonal behavior and migration rules.

However, many species still face the risk of extinction. A 2015 study found that vertebrate species (fish, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians) are disappearing at a rate of 114 times faster than normal - a phenomenon with a secret relationship set for climate change, pollution and deforestation.

Ice melt makes sea level rise

The polar regions are particularly sensitive to global warming. The average temperature in the Arctic is twice as fast as in other regions and ice is melting very fast. This not only seriously affects people and flora and fauna in the region but also causes sea level rise. By 2100, sea water will rise about 30-130cm, threatening coral systems and low areas of the world. Island nations and large cities like New York, Los Angeles, Mumbai, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro . will be underwater.

Coastal cities like New York will be underwater.(Photo: Rolling Stone).

Besides, seawater also has higher acidity, mostly due to the absorption of emissions. If this concentration continues to increase, the subsea marine system will face a great risk of extinction, especially those with shells or bones such as molluscs, crabs and corals.

Clearly, climate change makes the future of humanity become fragile. The frightening thing was that it was too late to turn counterclockwise, when we emitted huge amounts of huge emissions. Even if you stop all activities that generate CO2, people will still face consequences. However, if actively reducing global emissions, the consequences of climate change will be lighter.