What is happening, and could happen to the earth because of global warming?
80116
The last time we had global warming was in 1000 AD.\nScientists call this the Medieval Warm Period (MWP)\nand it persisted until a cold period known as the "Little Ice Age" took hold in the 14th and 15th centuries. Warmer climate brough a remarkable flowering of prosperity, knowledge, and art to Europe.  As the temp. increased so did agricultural yields. Marshes and swamps dried up, removing the breeding grounds of mosquitoes that spread malaria. Former wetlands were converted to productive farmland. Infant mortality fell, and the population grew. From 1100 to 1300 AD the population of europe increased from about 40 to 60 million.\n\nThe surest sign of warming climate in Europe was the settlement of Greenland by Vikings from Iceland. The Greenland settlements reached a height of prosperity in the 12th and 13th centuries when 3000 colonists occupied 280 farms. The settlements came under duress in the late 14th century due to the onset of Little Ice Age cooling. They finally perished in the 15th century.\n  I don't know how long it will take.
441802
Global warming can have millions of negative effects, one leading to the next. If we have lost total control of it, it would start to get really hot down here. You would pick up a nice tan, but the tan won't stop. Trees will die of the heat, and even shelters could be whithered, because the heat is so intense.\n\nA major effect could be the melting of the poles. This could lead to devastating effects. With all those fresh water running into the sea, the ocean would be much fuller, causing huge tsunamis, tidal waves, tornadoes, and much more. This could even bring about the next ice age!\n\nMore water would evaporate, which would cause much more intense rainy seasons and floods.\n\nGlobal warming is a bad thing, and should be cut out by all means!
371905
Global warming is a term used to describe the trend of increases in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans that has been observed in recent decades. The scientific opinion on climate change, as expressed in the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Third Assessment Report in 2001 and explicitly endorsed by the national science academies of the G8 nations in 2005, is that the average global temperature has risen 0.6 ± 0.2 °C since the late 19th century, and that it is likely that "most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities" [1]. The increased volumes of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released by the burning of fossil fuels, land clearing and agriculture, and other human activities, are the primary sources of the human-induced component of warming. The natural greenhouse effect keeps the Earth about 33 °C warmer than it otherwise would be; adding carbon dioxide to a planet's atmosphere, with no other changes, will make that planet's surface warmer.\n\nObservational sensitivity studies [2] [3] and climate models referenced by the IPCC predict that global temperatures may increase by 1.4 to 5.8 °C between 1990 and 2100.\n\nThe range of uncertainty results in large part from not knowing the volume of future carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, there is uncertainty about the accuracy of the underlying climate models.\n\nThe increase in global temperatures is expected to result in other climate changes including rises in sea level and changes in the amount and pattern of precipitation. Such changes may increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, heat waves, and hurricanes, change agricultural yields, cause glacier retreat, reduced summer streamflows, or contribute to biological extinctions. Although warming is expected to affect the number and magnitude of these events, it is difficult to connect any particular event to global warming.\n\nAlthough most studies focus on the period up to 2100, warming would be expected to continue past then, since CO2 has a long average atmospheric lifetime [4]. Also, Climate commitment studies indicate that there is a further warming of perhaps 0.5 °C to 1.0 °C — already committed but not yet realised.There are only a few scientists that contest the view that humanity's actions have played a significant role in increasing recent temperatures. However, uncertainties do exist regarding how much climate change should be expected in the future, and a hotly-contested political and public debate exists over what, if anything, should be done to reduce or reverse future warming, and how to cope with the consequences.
126429
A broad answer is that all life will either adapt to these changes to survive or face death and/or extinction.\n\nThe earth has always changed and will continue to change. Many of these changes can be caused (and stopped) by man..for example reducing pollution that could be contributing to global warming. Most changes, however, are due to forces outside our control or contribution. \n\nClimate changes aren't necessarily under our control or prevention. There is a complication. The Earth's orbit is very close to being a perfect circle, but not quite. It is somewhat elliptical, which means that the distance between the Earth and the Sun varies over the course of the year. This effect is too weak to cause the seasons, but it might have some influence over their severity.\n\nThere is another important cycle that has the potential to affect the Earth's climate; it is a 41,000-year variation in obliquity, the tilt of the Earth's axis. The obliquity varies by only a few degrees back and forth, and the current value of 23.4° is near the middle of the range. However, in respect to climates on the earth, the obliquity variation has the potential to have a fairly direct effect on seasonal extremes. After all, it is the obliquity that causes our seasons in the first place - if the Earth's axis were perpendicular to its orbital plane, there would be no seasons at all.\n\nAnother factor is our moon. Our moon has a huge influence on our life here on earth on many levels, yet it is slowly moving away from us. It also is a factor of keeping the tilt of the earth's axis from taking bigger variations than it does now. As it moves farther away, the "wobble" will likely become much larger and the changes in climate on a much larger and more frequent time frame.\n\nWhen one takes into account the possibility of asteroid impacts, the immediate and long-term effects caused by plate tectonics, and many MANY more changes in our earth that are beyond human control, we see that human-influenced global warming is only a small piece of a very large changing earth puzzle. (I mention this not to say that global warming isn't a very important topic to teach, but to stress that the other causes of climate changes should be taught as well. Most school-aged children tend to think if we simply address the burning of fossil fuels there will be no climate changes on earth.)\n\nThe changes I have mentioned here are earth/space science topics. Many other changes occur on earth that are usually covered in life science classes. Hope this at least gives you some ideas to explore and research further.
1095625
There very well could be.  The earth has had many temperature cycles.  The crowd that is currently talking about global warming was touting the theory that we were headed into the next ice age  thirty years ago.
333791
Probably not. I think the end will come from environmental destruction causing melting of the ice caps, then, when the balance of the planet is thrown off enough, the earth will change its axis of rotation ( as it has done several times already according to the geologic survey ). This will be devestating to all life on the planet and the earth will be reborn.
803430
Global warming is the observed increase in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans in recent decades.\n\nThe Earth's average near-surface atmospheric temperature rose 0.6 ± 0.2 °Celsius (1.1 ± 0.4 °Fahrenheit) in the 20th century. The prevailing scientific opinion on climate change is that "most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities"[1].\n\nThe increased amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) are the primary causes of the human-induced component of warming[2]. They are released by the burning of fossil fuels, land clearing and agriculture, etc. and lead to an increase in the greenhouse effect. The first speculation that a greenhouse effect might occur was by the Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius in 1897, although it did not become a topic of popular debate until some 90 years later. [3]\n\nThe measure of the response to increased GHGs, and other anthropogenic and natural climate forcings, is climate sensitivity. It is found by observational [4] and model studies. This sensitivity is usually expressed in terms of the temperature response expected from a doubling of CO2 in the atmosphere. The current literature estimates sensitivity in the range 1.5–4.5 °C (2.7–8.1 °F). Models referenced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) project that global temperatures might increase between 1.4 and 5.8 °C (2.5 to 10.5 °F) between 1990 and 2100. The uncertainty in this range results from both the difficulty of estimating the volume of future greenhouse gas emissions and uncertainty about climate sensitivity.\n\nAn increase in global temperatures can in turn cause other changes, including a rising sea level and changes in the amount and pattern of precipitation. These changes may increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts, heat waves, hurricanes, and tornados. Other consequences include higher or lower agricultural yields, glacial retreat, reduced summer stream flows, species extinctions and increases in the ranges of disease vectors. Warming is expected to affect the number and magnitude of these events; however, it is difficult to connect particular events to global warming. Although most studies focus on the period up to 2100, warming (and sea level rise due to thermal expansion) is expected to continue past then, since CO2 has an estimated atmospheric lifetime of 50 to 200 years. [5]. Only a small minority of climate scientists discount the role that humanity's actions have played in recent warming. However, the uncertainty is more significant regarding how much climate change should be expected in the future, and there is a hotly contested political and public debate over what, if anything, should be done to reduce or reverse future warming, and how to deal with the predicted consequences.
724297
Global warming is the observed increase in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans in recent decades.\n\nThe Earth's average near-surface atmospheric temperature rose 0.6 ± 0.2 °Celsius (1.1 ± 0.4 °Fahrenheit) in the 20th century [1]. The prevailing scientific opinion on climate change is that "most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities"[2].\n\nThe increased amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) are the primary causes of the human-induced component of warming[3]. They are released by the burning of fossil fuels, land clearing and agriculture, etc. and lead to an increase in the greenhouse effect. The first speculation that a greenhouse effect might occur was by the Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius in 1897, although it did not become a topic of popular debate until some 90 years later. [4]\n\nClimate sensitivity is a measure of the equilibrium response to increased GHGs, and other anthropogenic and natural climate forcings. It is found by observational [5] and model studies. This sensitivity is usually expressed in terms of the temperature response expected from a doubling of CO2 in the atmosphere. The 2001 IPCC report estimates a likelyhood between 66% and 90% for a climate sensitivity in the range 1.5–4.5 °C (2.7–8.1 °F)[6]. This should not be confused with the expected temperature change by a given date, which also includes a dependence on the future GHG emissions and a delayed response due to thermal lag, principally from the oceans. Models referenced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), using a range of SRES scenarios, project that global temperatures will increase between 1.4 and 5.8 °C (2.5 to 10.5 °F) between 1990 and 2100.\n\nAn increase in global temperatures can in turn cause other changes, including a rising sea level and changes in the amount and pattern of precipitation. These changes may increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts, heat waves, hurricanes, and tornados. Other consequences include higher or lower agricultural yields, glacial retreat, reduced summer stream flows, species extinctions and increases in the ranges of disease vectors. Warming is expected to affect the number and magnitude of these events; however, it is difficult to connect particular events to global warming. Although most studies focus on the period up to 2100, warming (and sea level rise due to thermal expansion) is expected to continue past then, since CO2 has an estimated atmospheric lifetime of 50 to 200 years. [7]. Only a small minority of climate scientists discount the role that humanity's actions have played in recent warming. However, the uncertainty is more significant regarding how much climate change should be expected in the future, and there is a hotly contested political and public debate over implementation of policies that deal with predicted consequences, what, if anything, should be done to reduce or reverse future warming, and how to deal with the predicted consequences.\n\nYou could get more information from the link below...
260304
global warming is cause by greenhouse gases being trapped near earths atmosphere, which causes heat to be trapped nearer to earths surface which increases the temperature on earth slightly which melts the polar ice caps which makes water levels rise which means islands will be flooded and shores will advance into the land making living space smaller in an already overpopulated world.
452215
Well Global warming is a great threat, it is damaging planet earth. I was reading in this physics book about the effects of global warming and it stated that the rising levels of harmful chemical gases in the earth's atmosphere could damage the earth forever. It says the with the build up of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen, methane, ammonia and carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere, a giant chemical ring will form around the earth's atmosphere blocking sunlight coming into earth, so therefore the earth turns into "lo" one of jupiter's many moons. I'm not saying that this is true, but that's what i read in my book.
620355
Global warming refers to the increases in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans that has been observed in recent decades.
992273
Old age, the Earth will gradually become uninhabitable over a very long period of time until the time comes when the few million people that are left only have legends about how the planet once supported billions.\nNuclear war,  pandemics, possible global warming would be as hiccups along the way.
512257
The irreversible effects of global warming will be seen within the next 15 to twenty years...rising water levels and increased storm activity (ie, more extreme weather).
228093
OMG...this is a very sad question. The reason why gloval warming NEEDS to affect the earth is because without it, we would all DIE. Think about it, what would we do if there was no heat at ANYTIME. We would all die because we would all freeze to death. Besides in order to keep anything alive we need Gloval Warming. The food we eat need it, the water need it, the plants, animals everything and everyone needs it.
1167911
Science explains Global warming. More storms, bigger storms, carbin dioxide levels, soon crops may burn up before they grow, rain forest desease may spread, Gulf stream may stop, In Our Lifetime.\nIs a good read, go see... Times ARE changing.
806691
Global Warming is taking place, and I am not so sure it is just the people who are the culprits of this catastrophic event. There are much deeper reasons for this phenomenon that is taking place. We may be contributing to this problem. But  we alone aren't the only contributing factors. Scientists are studying this, and they have other theories. Reverse polarities may be taking place. \nPersonally, I think that because the Earth spins slightly off its axis, thus it has a wobble, and the Earth is coming to a stop. The sun is a powerful force, and as the Earth slows, sun's effects upon us are becoming more and more prolific. Cancer is more prevalent than ever before, for just one example. \nYes, Global Warming is happening, and I don't know if we are really able to stop it, or how much we contribute to the problem. We may be speeding up the process, but I don't think we are completely to blame.
267704
You take all the temperatures across the globe and average them out and compare to the same day and time every year and when the average is steadily getting higher, like it is, its called global warming.\n\nThe ice caps start to melt, sea level rises, climate changes.  Just a whole lot of fun stuff like that.