The Impact of Global Warming on Humans, Animals and Marine Life

Global warming can be defined as a phenomenon that is characterized by an increase of the average temperatures near the Earth’s surface. This phenomenon is raising fundamental environmental issues, it is caused by natural occurrences such as volcanic eruption, greenhouse gases, and rotation of the sun as well as human influences such as deforestation, mining, and the industrial revolution. Impact of global warming in this essay is presented through different spheres of life.

First of all there is a huge impact of global warming on marine life. Marine life faces serious threats from ocean acidification and warming waters, which are the effects of global warming. Warming waters change the depth and latitude at which some marine life survive. As a result, these species are forced to move farther north or deeper into the oceans where the water is colder. On the other hand, increased release of carbon dioxide into oceanic waters changes ocean chemistry leading to enhanced levels of ocean acidity, which in turn reduces phytoplankton. Reduced phytoplankton means fewer marine plants are able to process greenhouse gases. According to Reid, rising levels of acidity in the oceans inhibit the development of coral, crustaceans, as well as other living organisms. This leads to widespread interruption of the interconnected marine food webs. Acidic water also affects underwater creatures especially those with calcium carbonate shells or skeletons such as crabs, mollusks, as well as corals.

Global warming causes death to marine creatures in large numbers. A 2015 study found out that the Pacific Northwest oyster industry lost about $110 million as the annual harvest of clams, oysters, as well as other, shelled mollusks declined significantly. According to scientists, some marine life such as shellfish and corals may become extinct towards the end of this century due to the chemical effects of carbon dioxide. High levels of heat cause stress to algae that corals feed on. Diminished algae starve the corals; considering coral reefs are home to many marine creatures, their destruction disrupts the normal marine life ecosystems.

During the study about global warming  there was an analysis essay which states that climate change affects human life and its prosperity negatively. First of all climate change affects agriculture negatively. Farmers across the globe are grappling with changes in the climatic conditions. The weather has become more unpredictable. In addition, farms have become more prone to diseases, weeds, and pest, which impact yield negatively. Drought in many parts of the world affects crop yield leading to hunger and starvation, particularly in Africa. According to Casper, extreme events such as droughts and floods also affect crop yields negatively. Increasing atmospheric temperatures lead to warmer and more polluted air, which affects human health. As the atmosphere becomes warmer, ground-level ozone (smog) increases in polluted areas. Smog may trigger asthma attacks as well as irritate lungs. Extreme temperatures in the summer result in heat waves that lead to deaths of people and wildlife. Increased temperatures on freshwaters create a breeding ground for bacteria, which contaminates the water leading to more health problems in those who rely on such water for their domestic use.

Global warming has impact of global warming on plant and animals. Global warming is making natural habitats for various animal species hostile. Rising temperatures are changing animal habitats making them less hospitable for some animal species; other animals are moving to new habitats and taking over from natural inhabitants. This places some ecosystems at risk of collapsing. For example at the Arctic, the ice is fast vanishing; as the ice disappears, mammals that are ice-dependent such as polar bears and walruses are increasingly finding it harder to survive. In fact, in 2008, the polar bear was the first animal to be classified as an endangered species as a result of global warming.

Global warming places forest at a higher risk of deadly infestation. Longer summers and milder winters have allowed tree-killing insects to thrive for longer periods. In other areas, prolonged drought weakens defense mechanisms of many trees. As a result, trees die in large numbers thus decreasing forest cover. For example, the warmer temperatures are responsible for the huge die-off of Rocky Mountain conifers estimated to extend for about 70,000 square miles. 

To end up writing about global warming, the essay shares only few spheres of life where we can clearly notice the danger of climate change and global warming. Global warming will have detrimental impacts on people and nature at all. It affects our agriculture system. Floods, droughts and heatwaves can be expected due to global warming which will all have immensely negative impacts on livestock and crops in key moments of their development. We cannot simply close our eyes to this problem because it is already negatively changing our lives and it is only progressing.