results of this (stopping of a major ocean current) would be disastrous for Europe. (We look at the Gulf Stream Ocean current issue in Chapter 7.)
Africa
On a per-person basis, Africans have contributed the very least to global warming because of overall low levels of industrial development. Just look at a composite photo of the planet at night: The United States, southern Canada, and Europe are lit up like Christmas trees, burning energy that results in GHG emissions. Africa, on the other hand, shows very few lights: some offshore oil rigs twinkle, and a few cities shine, but the continent is mostly dark.
Despite contributing very little to the source of the problem, many countries in Africa are already experiencing effects of global warming. East Africa Hazards Watch says
“Major cities in East Africa have witnessed an increase in temperatures that almost doubles the 1.1 degrees C warming that the globe has experienced since pre-industrial times. Since 1860 Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) has warmed by 2.2 degrees C, Khartoum (Sudan) by 2.09 degrees C, Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) by 1.9 degrees C, Mogadishu (Somalia) by 1.9 degrees C, and Nairobi (Kenya) by 1.9 degrees C.”
Global warming is expected to melt most of Africa’s glaciers within the next few decades, which will reduce the already critically low amount of water available for farming. Long periods of drought followed by deluge rainfall have had devastating impacts in places such as Mozambique. Coastal areas in East Africa have suffered damage from storm surges and rising sea levels. The World Bank projects that by 2050 86 million people could be displaced by climate-related changes.
Asia
More people call Asia home than any other continent — 4.7 billion in all. This high population, combined with the fact that most of Asia’s countries are developing, means that a lot of people won’t be able to sufficiently adapt to climate change impacts. As in Africa, climate change will bring pressures to the continent that will slow down development.
Here are some impending concerns for many parts of the continent:
Future availability of drinkable water: This has been and continues to be a major problem because of population growth, pollution, and low or no sanitation. The IPCC projects that anywhere from 120 million to 1.2 billion people may find themselves without enough drinkable water within the next 42 years, depending on the severity of climate change. Already, rising temperatures are causing glaciers in the Himalayas to melt. These disappearing glaciers, which are the water supply to 2 billion people, are also contributing to increased avalanches and flooding.
Rising sea levels for coastal Asia: The IPCC reports that mangroves, coral reefs, and wetlands will be harmed by higher sea levels and warming water temperatures. Unfortunately, this slightly salty water won’t be good for freshwater organisms, as a whole. (See Chapter 8 for more about the impact global warming will have on the oceans.)
Illnesses: They’re also expected to rise because of global warming. Warmer seawater temperatures could also mean more, and more intense, cases of cholera. Scientists project that people in South and Southeast Asia will experience more cases of diarrheal disease, which can be fatal. (Chapter 9 offers more information about how global warming might increase the environmental conditions that promote the spread of diseases.)
Australia and New Zealand
If you ask an Australian or a Kiwi about global warming, you probably won’t get any argument about its negative effects. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Australia has experienced increased extreme and deadly bush fires, heat waves, less snow, and changes in rainfall. Extreme drought conditions persisted from 2003 to 2012 and from 2017 to today. This heat and lack of precipitation will likely worsen while global warming’s effects intensify.
Climate change has also strongly affected the ocean. Sea levels have already risen 2.8 inches (70 millimeters) in Australia since the 1950s, and increasing ocean temperatures threaten the Great Barrier Reef. The reef is at risk of bleaching, half its coral has disappeared since 1995 and the possibility that it may be lost altogether is becoming more real. (See Chapter 8 for details.)
Small islands
You probably aren’t surprised to hear that when it comes to climate change, rising sea levels and more extreme storms create an enormous risk for small islands everywhere, such as the South Pacific island of Tuvalu. Some islands will simply disappear due to rising sea levels if global efforts to limit global warming aren’t successful. Here are other climate-related concerns for small island nations:
Forests vulnerable to major storms: Storms can easily topple island forests because a forest’s small area doesn’t provide much of a buffer and the root systems of trees are generally quite shallow on islands.
Limited resources: Some islands can’t adapt physically and/or financially.
Proximity of population to the ocean: At least 50 percent of island populations live within a mile (1.5 kilometers) of water, and these populations are threatened by rising sea levels. Tsunamis (they used to be called tidal waves) caused by earthquakes and volcanoes, and storm surges from hurricanes and typhoons do much more damage when the ordinary level of the sea surrounding an island is even a little higher than it used to be.
Risks to drinkable water: The intrusion of ocean saltwater because of rising sea levels could contaminate islands’ drinkable water, which is already limited on most islands.
Reliance on tourism: Beach erosion and coral reef damage, two possible effects of climate
