Will we see any serious effects from global warming in this lifetime?

Answer 1

We already are. West Nile virus has spread further North as warmer, milder winters allow it to overwinter in higher latitudes. Hurricanes are becoming more severe and more frequent- if you look at the news reports for hurricanes this year, we are seeing an awful lot of firsts in terms of rapidity of development, severity, and earliness. Also, the tortuously hot summer we endured in Western New York can be attributed to global warming, as well as the severe heat waves and droughts which afflicted several countries besides our own.
The opening of the North West passage also has to do with global warming, and the rapid loss and probable extinction of North Atlantic Right Whales in the very near future can be attributed to circulation patterns that have changed due to global warming.
Also:
-coral bleaching
-flooding
-more severe storms in general
-ice cap loss

And that's what is already here. Global warming isn't a FUTURE threat, it is a problem NOW.

Answer 2

Most effects will be positive until we shift back into a cooling phase. The planet is more prosperous during the warming cycles than the cooling ones.

Less will die from the cold, better trade routes to the north (as someone already mentioned), more new lifeforms in the warmer regions.

Look on the bright side. In the 70's everyone was worried about going into an ice age. Enjoy the warmth while you can . We'll definitely be going into another cooling spell in our lifetime.

Answer 3

By the middle of this century global warming will only be a distant memory. The sun's output will have dropped and the climate will have turned much colder. The human race will be facing it's greatest challenge, trying to grow enough food to feed billions of humans, with much shorter growing seasons and less precipitation. Invest in South Texas real estate.

Answer 4

The consequences are already here:

Katrina is a perfect example, and Katrina-strong hurricanes are occurring more &more often. Just this year two category-5 hurricanes came down on the Caribbean (this was the first time it ever happened).

If you ask me, the Tsunami from a few years ago was also somehow related (even if science hasn't discovered yet how).

Answer 5

Probably not. Although many have been influenced to believe that dramatic and serious environmental impacts will happen within our lifetime, one has to question the many significant events affecting climate over the earth's geological time and what negative consequences of those events have impacted humanity. Comparing and contrasting such events will put things in perspective. Major volcanic eruptions in recent geological time have shown that such events are very significant and of great concern for all of us.

The real question is how we deal with such events and how we use our resources to plan for cataclysmic natural phenomenon. Although, the human impact of CO emissions is something to be concerned about, it should be put in perspective with other important influences on our environment.

Answer 6

Think like you have drink a vodka just a snip?
How fast will the body respond of heating up and then how fast that you will feel cold after the alcohol effect is gone? So having to much vodka the body will respond that you are drunk that means your losing balance. That is when i drink a glass of water like now i feel i am drowning?

Answer 7

WE? depends on whose lifetime you're talking about. are talking about a newborn's perspective that will live for 90 or so years and live experience global warming or are you talking about a 30 or 50 0r 80 year olds' perspective. anyways. global warming is happening now whether or not your want to believe it. within the next 100 years scientists predict that if we continue to discontinue doing anything about global warming most forests will probably vanish most animals will be extinct by around 2150 global warming should be at the real beginning of it's worst peake. i'm 20 so my great grand children will hate me because of the type of living conditions WE left for them. then down the years expect mass floodings, most of africa completely under water, and australia as well, huge tsunami's on East and West coast. places like Florida, NY, NJ, Maryland, massachussets, Oregon, Washington, California well beach shore states will Have extreme tsunami's constantly and will have like 100+ feet high tsunami's. among other natural disasters.
*most importantly because of the melting ice and snow in places like antartica, alaska and other snowy, icy places the melting of that today is causing sea levels to rise and in 100 years tsunami's will strike a few times a month possibly even.

Answer 8

It seems like in the past historically the world has been better off during the warmer periods like between 900 and about 1100 ad.

Answer 9

Uhmm -- we are.

The North West passage is opening up.

The Port of Churchill has had its longest season ever.

Polar Bears are beginning to die.

The Inuit are having to abandon traditional routes over the ice and create new ones.

Countries are positioning over claims to the Arctic..

Greenland is melting.

Torential rains and massive flooding all over the world this year.

UK
http://www.christiantoday.com/special/UK-Floods.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6246062.stm

Answer 10

Yes