Global warming has been a popular conversational topic amongst all ages and backgrounds for decades. Surprisingly, these conversations tend to focus on the legitimacy or illegitimacy of it and not what actually matters or what is at stake. This project will go in depth on the numerous effects of global warming on different aspects of the world. It will also go into detail about the importance of those variables and why they are at stake. Rising temperatures have been negatively linked to agricultural difficulties, which ultimately affect the economy, species and ecosystem functions, global attributes, and international health.

A Change in parts of ecosystem functions and an increased number of invasive species can be traced back to rising temperatures. One example of an ecosystem function altercation is pollination, which is the interaction between plant and animal species. By considering a species of bees which forage based on thermal temperature, the significance of this function can be exemplified, in particular, “foraging is limited by low air temperatures in the morning and overheating in the late afternoon, so predicted increases in temperature will limit the time available for pollen-collecting behavior” (Traill 2010). On a large-scale food web, this process’ value is degraded. When looked upon with a small-scale perspective, the importance starts to show since nearly 60% of crops that humans utilize depend on animal pollination, which include: cocoa, corn, fruit, etc. (Traill 2010). When these crops are exposed to high temperatures during their growth period, it puts them at risk for crop failure. They have a nighttime growth period that, in the past, consisted of colder temperatures, now with temperatures exceeding normal, the crops’ quality and quantity is reduced. These “high nighttime temperatures affected corn yields in 2010 and 2012 across the Corn Belt. With the number of nights with hot temperatures projected to increase as much as 30%, yield reductions will become more prevalent” (Hatfield). The dire need for animal pollination will continue to increase as global warming worsens and less pollination occurs. As the globe gets warmer, pollination will lessen and access to vital crops will diminish. From there, it all goes downhill. Due to the fact that crops start to become scarce, it not only affects the global economy, but food diversity as well. In essence, this is a big deal because crops that were once flourishing and circulating money into the economy and are no longer available. 

Not only does pollination exert negative effects on crop yields, but Invasive species, “those taxa that have been introduced recently and exert substantial negative impact on native biota, economic values or human health”, also have substantial impacts (Hellman 2008). The combination of invasive species with climate change provides a real threat to the globe. Because of its negative widespread influence, climate change “will interact with other existing stressors to affect the distribution, spread, abundance and impact of invasive species” as well as “challenge[ing] the definition of invasive species because some taxa that were previously invasive may diminish in impact; other, previously noninvasive species, may become invasive; and many native species will shift their geographic distributions, moving into areas where they were previously absent” (Hellman 2008). The most important thing to note is that new invasive species will emerge, which only leads to harmful outcomes. All in all, global warming presents a relatively difficult challenge to the world and all of its inhabitants, even menacing the survival of all species. 

Health is an essential aspect of life that has been altered by temperature change as well, whether it be by direct-acting effects or a disruption in ecological processes. These negative health effects include: Heat-wave related deaths, weather disasters, changes in patterns of infectious disease, etc. Extreme weather events have gradually increased in quantity and severity in the last 20 years, and not only has property and land been damaged but lives taken as well. In fact, “on average, the number of people killed annually by weather disasters between 1972 and 1996 was about 123,000…For everyone person killed in a natural disaster, 1000 people are affected, either physically or through loss of property or livelihood” (Patz 2004). Forest fires, for example, are common in areas that lack precipitation and do major damage to everything in their path. These beastly disasters have been known to cause numerous health issues including eye problems and respiratory disease. 

Moreover, precipitation, or the lack thereof, is another variable accounted for with global warming. Excessive rainfall is not typically associated with global warming, but rather, drought is. In actuality, “Excessive rainfall and runoff can lead to large numbers of micro-organisms entering drinking water, and outbreaks of waterborne disease have been associated with heavy rainfall events in the United States and elsewhere” (Patz 2004) Similarly, vector-Bourne disease carriers (insects and ticks) are sensitive to rainfall and temperature change. Climate change alters vector species distribution which presents a higher risk of new diseases. These weather conditions are only expected to get worse as time goes on if precautions are not taken to cool air temperatures. 

Global attributes, such as global warming, exert negative effects not only on independent variables but on a macro scale as well. A couple well-known examples include the melting of polar ice caps and rise in ocean water levels. One not discussed as often is a surplus of carbon dioxide in the world’s oceans. The presence of “an increase in atmospheric temperatures near the Earth's surface, an increase in the surface temperature of the Earth's oceans and an increase in sea levels” demonstrates the three most important indicators (Randolph 2003). Although changes in sea levels have been a natural phenomenon for thousands of years, they have increased dramatically and are beginning to alarm scientists. In fact, “Scientists have measured a mean sea level rise of about 4 in. They blame it on the average increase of 1.8 degrees F in world-wide surface temperatures of the planet” (Wells 2003). At this rate, scientists say that some of Americas largest coastline cities could be underwater sooner than anticipated. The reason for sea water level rise is due to water expansion which branches from polar ice caps melting. Similarly, the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide is the cause of ocean water acidification increases. Nearly half of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere dissolves into oceans and other estuaries. This water pollution is becoming “corrosive to calcium carbonate structures, dissolving coral reefs and the shells of marine organisms” (Nash 2014). Thus, why the great barrier reef deteriorated and eventually withered completely. This was an impactful loss considering coral reefs provide protection for coastlines from waves and tropical storms and also house many organisms. 

Global warming not only affects the concrete aspects normally associated with it but also has an effect on intangible factors. Agriculture, which is a vital variable in the global economy, is directly linked to global warming causing it to be an obvious target. A decrease in agricultural supply is typically due to lack of precipitation or rise in air temperature, two popular effects of global warming. These two variables increase the number of consecutive dry days and hot nights. Because agriculture plays such a vital role in national economic systems, economic status will go down as the climate keeps warming. Crop and livestock productivity are reliant on climate change which means it has the full capability of affecting it in a negative or positive way. In view of the fact that it determines if crops flourish or not, the stability of food supply will be at stake and present another formidable challenge for the world. Alongside crops, animals are also negatively affected by the change in temperature. As explained by scientist Jerry Hatfield, “Exposure to multiple hot nights increases the degree of stress imposed on animals resulting in reduced rates of meat, milk, and egg production” (Hatfield). The United States alone is predicted to feed nine billion people by the year 2050. Food shortage will cause an increase in prices. Thus, exports will decrease and the overall status of the U.S. economy will diminish.  If the U.S. economic status goes down, other countries will not want to trade anymore. This is a huge loss considering the U.S. imports nearly $771 billion a year. On a world-wide economic scale, climate change will hit the poor even harder. These individuals have no choice but to be farmers and their agriculture will become less and less productive. The malnourished will have an even harder time finding food. The list of things that global warming has affected in terms of agriculture and the economy will continue to grow until there are no more crops left on Earth.

Global warming has yet to present itself in a positive light, which leaves a worldwide problem. The only way to address this problem is by determining what is at stake and why it matters. The steps taken or not taken ultimately decides the fate of the world. There are ways to significantly help the earth from warming. There is no magical equation or invention that can stop this from happening, it takes a world effort. The way of life will be completely altered if we keep letting this go on. 
