Drought

I believe another serious consequence of global warming is the increase probability of droughts and heat waves.  The 10 warmest years in the past century have all occurred since 1985.  1998 was the warmest year on record and 2001 was the second warmest.  Droughts will continue to increase as more and more greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere, causing the Earth’s temperature to rise.  This warming process of the atmosphere will cause intensification in the hydrologic cycle.  There will be an increase of evaporation over both land AND water.  During the warm season, this drought will deeply affect Earth’s soils and vegetation.  Wildfires are also predicted to be more common.  The timing and amount of rainfall is also being predicted to change because of global warming.  The combination of increase in evaporation and decrease in rainfall is the perfect recipe for severe, long-lasting droughts.  This severe drought is predicted to occur in the next 100 years and take over half the land surface on the planet, threatening the life’s of millions!!!  Some climate researchers even see these predictions as being an underestimation.  Africa is expected to see the worst effects of droughts.  Conditions of droughts can become dangerous very quickly and the consequences can include any of the following.  The destruction of food sources such as crops leads to hunger and famine.  A decrease amount of water leads to thirst.  The lack of water also increases probability of disease because there is less clean water to drink and use for public sanitation.  Therefore, drought is seen as a very hazardous effect of global warming. 

Works Cited 

"An American Drought? | Keetsa Mattress Store – Keetsa! Blog – Eco-Friendly and Green News." Keetsa Mattress Store- Eco-friendly and Green Memory Foam/Latex Mattresses | Home. Web. 26 Oct. 2010. <http://keetsa.com/blog/world-map/north-america/an-american-drought/>. 

"Global Warming to Cause Massive Drought over next 100 Years, Say Climatologists." Independent News on Natural Health, Nutrition and More. Web. 26 Oct. 2010. <http://www.naturalnews.com/020649.html>. 

Google. Web. 26 Oct. 2010. <http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&q=effects of global warming droughts&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&pbx=1&fp=499faa430ac3503f>. 

West, By Larry. "Drought - What Are the Effects of Drought?" Environmental Issues - News and Information about the Environment. Web. 26 Oct. 2010. <http://environment.about.com/od/environmentalevents/a/droughteffects.htm>.