The global sea level has risen 8 inches since the 1800s, and is expected to rise 1-8 feet by 2100. As ocean waters coninue to warm up, the combination of storms, tides, and sea temperature can increase flooding in major habitated areas.
As temperatures continue rising, summer temperatures are projected to last longer, while cold waves experience a significant decrease. Due to the temperatures being too warm, reduction of soil moisture is estimated to increase by covering much of the central and west parts of our country.
Habitats are also being modified, the timing of events such as flowering and egg laying are shifting, and species are altering their home ranges. More animals are becoming endangered and extinct due to these changes.
Every year, millions of acres of land are consumed by fire. Fire has historically been a natural part of many wild landscapes, but global warming has changed some of the underlying variables that make wildfires more or less likely to occur every year. Warmer temperatures increase the likelihood that fires will burn more intensely. They also cause snow to melt sooner, and lead to drier soils, forests, and plants, which act as kindling. Increased droughts, unusual rain patterns, and insect outbreaks that lead to large stands of dead trees are also connected with climate change—and they all make wildfires more likely.
Connecting climate change to floods can be tricky, not only do myriad weather and human related factors play into whether or not a flood occurs, but limited data on the floods of the past make it difficult to measure them against the climate-driven floods of today. However, it is increasingly clear that climate change influenced several of the water-related variables that contribute to floods, such as rainfall and snowmelt. In other words, while climate change may not induce floods directly, it exacerbates many of the factors that do.
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