Global warming first started causing concern in the 1980s. Global warming is not the same as the greenhouse effect which is a natural phenomenon on which life depends. The Earth’s atmosphere captures some of the Sun’s energy, which warms the Earth and enables it to support life. Global warming, on the other hand, is the result of man-made emissions.
We all know that global warming is happening, although of course there are still those who want to attribute it to solar sunspots or say that the current rise in temperatures is just part of a normal cycle. However, despite the sceptics, most scientists, governments and people accept that global warming is happening and will get worse. If we do not limit our carbon emissions then the planet will warm further and sea levels will rise. No-one is quite sure by how much sea levels will rise or how quickly they will rise as it depends on the stability of the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica.
Already some places around the world are experiencing problems due to rising sea levels. The beautiful tropical islands of the Maldives are paradise, with their beautiful white sands and gently swaying palm trees. Unfortunately the highest point on the Maldives is a mere 2.4 m above sea level. The UN has forecast that by 2100 the sea level will have risen by up to 59 cm and this means that a large part of the archipelago will be under water. Worried by this possibility, the president of the Maldives has decided to divert part of the country’s billion-dollar tourist revenue into buying a new place for the citizens to move to.
Paradise Lost?
The Maldives is not the only country to be threatened by rising sea levels. The small island of Tuvalu in the Pacific has already experienced severe flooding which has damaged the islanders’ homes and contaminated the drinking water. The people of the island have already begun to leave their ancestral home. If sea levels continue to rise the rest of the islanders will have to follow. A World Bank economist has estimated that in the developing countries as many as 56 million people could become refugees as a result of global warming. A rise of just 39 in. would see one-fourth of the heavily populated Nile Delta in Egypt under water. Coastal Vietnam, Suriname, Guyana, Tunisia, the Bahamas, Benin, the United Arab Emirates and Mauritania would also be seriously affected.
By knowing which countries or which parts of a country are going to be affected, planners can target resources better and encourage vulnerable nations to develop plans that would see people moving from the low-lying areas to higher areas. As sea levels rise, coastal areas will have to be abandoned for the interior.
Global warming and rising sea levels are going to affect some of the poorest people in the world, but that does not mean that countries in the developed world will be unaffected. A panel of experts tasked by the government with assessing the likely impact of global warming on the UK has already reported that the UK is experiencing changes caused by global warming. At the moment most of these changes affect the marine environment. Sea surface temperatures have been rising by 0.2 to 0.6% per decade in the last 30 years and this trend is set to continue, especially in the south of the country. Severe winds have become more common and the height of waves has also increased in the western and northern parts of British territorial waters. It is anticipated that sea levels will rise by 20 to 80 cm in south west England and by 0 to 60 cm in Scotland.
How long before these majestic animals disappear forever?
Many of the favourite holiday spots in the UK are under threat from climate change and coastal erosion. At Birling Gap, the start of the Seven Sisters, chalk cliffs the cliffs are eroding at up to a metre each year and rising sea levels and an increase in stormy weather will only accelerate this process. Blakeney Nature Reserve is only just above the high tide level and is already at risk from flooding. The reserve is located on a shingle spit with salt marshes lying behind it and is home to common and grey seals as well as several species of breeding birds. East Head has been designated a site of special scientific interest. This sandy spit which is just 10 hectares in size lies to the east of Chichester Harbour and is currently home to a large range of wildlife. The Farne islands are home to over 100,000 puffins and over 20 species of seabird. They share the island with a colony of grey seals. Over the next 40 years the incidence of storms is set to increase and just one major storm could destroy many of the birds’ nests. At Filey which is located on the northeast coast of England the land is disappearing at a rate of 10 in. per year. In Cornwall the National Trust is fighting a constant battle to safeguard areas of Cornwall’s coastal path which is being damaged by erosion caused by rising sea levels and freak storms. The Trust is having to increasingly fence off damaged areas which are now unsafe for hikers to use.
Of course, whilst global warming will be bad news for many locations, for others it could have positive effects. Some locations could have extended summer seasons that could lead to an increase in revenue through tourism or the growing of crops. The Canadian Prairies for example could become a major wheat growing belt whilst areas in the UK might become suitable for growing a variety of different crops such as citrus fruits.
Greenland: soon to be the Maldives.
Despite losing much of its ice cover, Greenland could also benefit from global warming. In south-western Greenland the grass-growing season has been getting longer, which is good news for sheep farmers. There are 60 sheep farms in the area and they are now producing more sheep. Diary cattle have also been reintroduced and are expected to produce around 29,058 gallons of milk each year. In the supermarkets, locally grown broccoli and potatoes are appearing alongside other vegetables never before grown in Greenland. Even commercial fishing is set to receive a boost with bumper cod catches and increased numbers of halibut. The melting ice caps have also resulted in a rush to mine for gold, diamonds and other metals. Sadly the local Inuits are unlikely to profit from these changes with their lifestyle being increasingly threatened. There is also no silver lining for much of the local wildlife.
As global warming continues, large areas of Russia, Tibet and Canada could become suitable for agriculture and settlement. In the Arctic the loss of ice will make it easier to drill for gas deposits and the opening up of the Northwest Passage will make sea journeys shorter. Of course, this is not good news for the polar bears who are already suffering as a result of global warming.
Ironically there are also those who argue that the UK could become colder as a result of global warming. This is because the UK is currently warmed by the Gulf Stream which originates in the Gulf of Mexico. If the Gulf Stream were to shut down, which some scientists believe is possible, then the UK and north-western Europe would become much colder.
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