How are people being affected?

Global Warming

As outlined above, the deforestation of rainforests has a major impact on global warming that affects people all around the world. However (as mentioned on the What's Happening? Page) there are a number of other contributing factors to global warming that also have a major impact on the future of humanity. Here is a break down of how the 5 deadliest effects previously mentioned will affect humanity:

1. Spread of Disease
As the Earth's temperature rises, disease-carrying insects will be able to survive in more areas bringing diseases with them that wouldn't normally exist in cooler areas of the planet.

2. Warmer Water and Extreme Weather (Hurricanes)
Scientists have proven that increasing ocean/sea temperatures correspond with increasingly extreme and destructive storms and hurricanes, which have a devastating affect on the areas of the world that they hit. One recent example of this devastation was when Hurricane Katrina ripped through New Orleans and the south of the USA killing hundreds of people and leaving thousands homeless.

3. Increase in droughts/heat waves
Some areas of the world, most notably Africa already suffer from serious droughts and heat waves that are devastating for the people that live there. As water is already a rare commodity in Africa, further and more intense droughts will further aggravate the problem and some experts have suggested this could even lead to conflicts and war.

4. Economic Consequences
All of the effects mentioned above have major economic consequences, as they will cost massive amounts of money to rectify. Damage from natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes can cost huge amounts of money to repair, millions of pounds has to be spent each year on research and implementation of cures for diseases and any international conflicts and wars cost millions of pounds in defence.

5. Polar ice caps melting
There are many consequences of melting polar ice. Firstly, sea levels will rise. This is particular a problem for islands and nations that stand at a very low level. There are many islands in the South Pacific which are already under threat from rising sea levels.

A sea level rise of 1 metre could mean estimate land losses of 0.05% in Uruguay, 1% in Egypt, 6% in the Netherlands, 17.5% in Bangladesh and up to 80% for Atoll Majuro in the Marshall Islands.

Melting ice caps will also throw the global ecosystem out of balance. The seas will become less salty which will affect ocean currents that regulate temperatures. This would cool the area around northeast America and Western Europe.

Temperature rises and changing landscapes in the Arctic Circle will endanger several species of animals and also affect Inuit people who reside in the Arctic Circle.

Finally, if the ice caps were to completely disappear there would be no white ice to reflect sunlight, which helps to cool the Earth and regulate the temperatures that we need to survive.

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