What happens if the earth heats up by 1o, 2o 3o 4o 5o 6o because of global warming?

Question

These are Celsius degrees.

What happens if the earth heats up. What's happening now? What are we doing about it? What about the future? What can we do?

Answer 1

Nobody really knows with any degree what these conditions will be like for humans. I have to think, given the fact, that we do not have a significant amount of hair on our bodies, and by far the most adaptable specie on the planet, a hotter climate may suit us very well. All these predictions of droughts, floods, and the such are really only speculated. We've become so accustomed to our fairly stable climate in the short period or time we've been here, that we can't imagine what kind of world a warmer climate would present to us. All things relative, it might not be as bad as the picture that has been painted by those that would attempt to control us with fear DR King said something about that didn't he?

Answer 2

The last time it happened, during the Holocene Maximum, agriculture was developed and perfected and people began to build civilization. Temp has increased 16 degrees F since the end of the last ice age so a rise of 6 degrees C is very unlikely. More likely we'll either enter a cooling period next or temp will top out about where it did during the Holocene and the Medieval Warm Period, about 2 degrees C above today's temp.

If the Earth heats up there's very little we can do, any more than we could if a new ice age began. The Earth's climate system isn't just complex, it's huge and a well-intentioned change may have unforseen and calamitous results. We're near the end of the current interglacial period, 18,000 years since the last glacial period ended. Typically the interglacials last from 15,000-20,000 years so it's anyone's guess when it will start again. Our current tech is far too weak to do much to halt an ice age, other than relocating to the narrow band that would remain free of ice.

Answer 3

polar ice caps will melt

animals will die

places will flood

water will get colder so some sea creatures may die because they are not accustomed to the temperature.

more countires might go into drought.

:)

Answer 4

While we can make some predictions based upon past warmings, the temperatures aren't exact and the rate of change is pretty steep and acelerating this time, so it's difficult to correlate predictions with specific temperatures.  

We do know that due to drought we could lose access to water and power from Hoover Dam in the 6-13 year timeframe, the Pentagon has planned a scenario for food riots and global anarchy in as little as 16 years, the glacial source of the Ganges could be gone in about 30 years, and given accelerated melting observed since the last IPCC report was written, sea level rise could be several meters by 2100 (not the 40cm predicted in the IPCC report).

Climate reacts gradually to carbon dioxide and it can take 1000 years for it to get worked out of the atmosphere, so we know that the elevated greenhouse gases already warming our planet will continue to affect the planet for dozens of generations.  If we look past 2100,

- Global and regional warming could more than quadruple after 2100

- Sea level will still be rising at the end of the millennium (3000)

- Ocean pH will fall dramatically for all but the minimum emission scenario

- Business-as-usual could lead to abrupt climate changes

- Abrupt climate changes could occur long after emissions cease

- The ocean carbon sink becomes less effective the more CO2 is emitted

- The land could be a net carbon source on the millennial timescale

http://www.tyndall.ac.uk/research/theme1...

Here are summaries of some of their latest research into carbon cycle science and what to do to mitigate the damage, which is being conducted across more than a dozen federal agencies:

http://co2conference.org/agenda.asp

http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/sa...

Auto manufacturers were asked to meet to meet Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards in 1975.  To help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce dependence on foreign oil.  Legislation last year raise the standards to 35MPG by 2020, but there are loopholes for lark pickup trucks, hummers, RVs, etc.  Some European auto manufacturers simply pay fines for failing to meet CAFE standards, so currently we fail to meet goals while having the added expense passed on to consumers.  If manufacturers were banned from the U.S. market for model years where they fail to comply, European auto manufacturers would show a lot more respect for our laws.

http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/fue...

Answer 5

The temp will change, its the natural process, nothing stays the same, not in the past, not in the future.

If it heats up, more places to swim, if it freezes, more places to ski.

Answer 6

It won't be a Hollywood movie style disaster. Gradually coastal areas will flood and agriculture will be damaged. But it will be very bad. Rich countries will cope, but it will take huge amounts of money. In poor countries many people will die of starvation, but not all of them.

More details:

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNe...

http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-wg2.h...

Answer 7

We could all spend hours answering questions like this with opinions, but if you're truly concerned about getting the answer(s) to this and then some... NGC recently covered the exact thing you're asking.  

Come to think of it, I also recommend the issue they released a few months ago (on alternative energy - ear of corn on the cover) that had an excellent poster insert with a mountain of data on current and future projected data relevant to global temperature increases.

Answer 8

I agree with netidol.

You can find good answers I believe you're looking for on each degree up to six degrees by just visiting the National Geographic Website.  I remember they did a movie on this exact thing which was pretty good i thought.

Answer 9

i know someone who talked with all gore and he did a thing at our school and he said that sea  would only rise 1 meter in the next 60 yrs (which is still bad)

animals would die (polor bears)

people are trying there best

and u can do lots

(if u go 2 readings in carlton there are free booklest on it at the counter

Solutions  (copy n pasted oviously)

Free Market

Free Market Environmentalists advocate an approach to global warming risks based on innovation (freeing up the market to develop better, affordable energy technologies), adaptation (solving existing problems now) and resiliency (ensuring that people are wealthy and healthy enough to withstand changes). Find out more about how these policies can secure a brighter future for the world.

Kyoto

The Kyoto Protocol, negotiated in 1997, sets emissions targets for industrialized nations only for the period 2008-12. Is it working? Or is it all pain for no gain? And what are the prospects for a Kyoto II, extending beyond 2012?

Al Gore & the Stern Review

Former vice-president Al Gore and Sir Nicholas Stern of the UK Treasury have each proposed packages of measures that go well beyond the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol. Find out the problems associated with their analyses here.

Congressional Proposals

Every year sees new proposals advanced in Congress to deal with the perceived problem of global warming. We'll have analyses and critiques of the proposals here.

and theres this 4 ya    http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/in...

n'joy

Answer 10

Bears would become bi-polar, conservatives would be found bound & gaged by pretzel logic trying to blame the warming on the Clinton-Gore Administration, Hannity & Combs would be running non-stop specials on how they had tried to 'warn' the country.

And those of us that sat around on our hands with no links to the elites, would be starved & tatoo'd.

Answer 11

well if earths heat at that high level,

it become worse because so much hot can cause a skin cancer.

whats happening ryt now is llike that,

we can prevent it by not doing some fire.