Global warming will affect the sea levels because when water is heated it expands. So the sea level will rise as the climate gets warmer. The polar ice caps are also melting at an alarming rate. The current rate at which the sea level is rising is 1/10 inch per year. Since there is already carbon in the atmosphere, the sea level will continue to change for centuries. With the rising sea level there will be a “loss of coastal ecosystems, flooding of cities, displacement of coastal inhabitants and increased vulnerability to storm surges” (Global Warming Facts and Our Future).

The rising sea level will affect both humans and nature. The rising sea levels will eventually flood areas where there are people living. Many islands will disappear due to the rising sea levels. The coral reefs that shield many islands will be underwater putting the local people in danger of “heightened storm surges and disrupted coastal ecosystems” (Global warming Fact and Our Future). With the rising sea level there will be a lot of urban flooding. Most coastal plains are at risk to flooding and thirteen of the larges cities in the world are on coastal plains. With this potential flooding, 10,000 square miles of land in the United States could be lost if the sea level rises two feet.

The rising sea level will also greatly impact nature. Flooding will cause the disappearance of wetlands. Wetlands are vulnerable because they are within a few feet of sea level. Specifically in the United States, if the sea level rises one foot 17 to 43 percent of wetlands would be wiped out. Rising sea level, along with warming of the oceans and water pollution, could increase coral bleaching. Coral reefs are very important to the oceans' ecosystems.

The world’s shorelines have been receding over the past century because of rises in sea level and increasing erosion. With the current rising sea level coastal erosion will dramatically increase.

Global warming will also affect our water resources. The western United States relys upon the Colorado River for fresh water which is from mountain snow melt. During dry times the river is depleted. Also the changes in weather patterns may be decreasing the sno-pack in the mountains and this could be a severe threat to the water supply.

Global warming will cause the polar ice-caps to disappear. The wildlife in the arctic areas will be affected by warming temperatures as the ice cover melts. Polar bears use the ice to hunt seals and the seal rely on the ice for nurturing their young. Humans use ice to hunt both polar bears and seals and also walruses. Walruses have recently been in bad condition because of the melting sea ice.

Global warming will cause a decrease in natural resources. Indigenous people would suffer from famine and disease because of limited resources. Some ways of adjusting to this is “altering crop mixes and water infrastructure to deal with drought, and improving public healthcare systems to reduce the harm caused by climate-related disease outbreaks” (Global Warming Fact and Our Future).

Global warming also affects health and the spread of diseases. Cold weather decreases the spread of infections diseases by getting rid of “infectious organisms and carrier species, such as mosquitoes” (Global Warming Fact and Our Future). However, warmer weather enhances the spread of malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever. Flooding, which is a result of sea levels rising and changing weather patterns can also increase the spread of diseases.

When temperatures get hotter there is an increase of air pollution. There will be an increase of photochemical pollutants, such as ozone. Ozone can damage lung tissue and it can be dangerous for people with asthma and other lung conditions.

Global warming will make hotter summers and warmer winters. Warmer weather in the summers will increase the number of heat-related deaths but the number of hypothermia and driving-related victims in the winter will decrease.