Impacts on humans and the natural world
The Sahara desert. Climate change could cause increasing numbers of droughts that will turn more land into desert.
As Earth's climate warms, many species could face extinction. Others will have to move closer to the poles to stay in the temperatures they normally live in. These could include tropical insects that carry disease.
Find out about the possible effects of climate change and discover why it's important to take action now to limit the consequences.
-
General effects
Escalating climate change could have disastrous consequences for humans, including flooding, droughts, stronger storms, and the spread of tropical diseases.
-
Extinction of coral reefs
Coral reefs are dying out faster than the rainforests are being cut down. Find out how corals have responded to past changes in their environment and what is happening to them today.
-
Extinction of Arctic and Antarctic species
What can the extinction of the woolly mammoths tell us about the future of polar bears and other species that live in polar regions?
-
Changing seasons
Find out how climate change affects whole ecosystems by disrupting relationships between plants and the insects that pollinate them.
-
Changing ocean currents
Britain's winter climate could become much colder if the Gulf Stream stops flowing. Find out how this could happen and what the consequences might be.
-
Ocean acidification
Coral reefs, phytoplankton, shell fish and other marine creatures could all be affected by climate change, as carbon dioxide is dissolved in the oceans and increases levels of carbonic acid.
-
Will climate change bring more disease?
Until recently, diseases such as malaria, leishmaniasis and Lyme disease were considered exotic ailments. But will they spread due to climate change?
