Photo: carlos larretxi via 123RF
Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities “have unequivocally caused global warming, with global surface temperature reaching 1.1°C above 1850–1900 in 2011–2020,” according to the 2023 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.
The global rise in temperatures has already caused melting glaciers, rising sea levels, record levels of ocean acidification, and warmer temperatures in the last decade than any in the previous 125,000 years. IPCC scientists also note that the rise in extreme weather events “have exposed millions of people to acute food insecurity and reduced water security.”
The higher the temperatures rise, the greater the risk of severe climate changes that impact all living things in the biosphere. Climate change impacts different climate zones and regions worldwide in different ways. Here’s a deeper look.
Major Climate Zones on Earth
There are five broad climate zones on Earth under the Koppen Climate Classification system, with labels A through E, according to WorldAtlas.com. They are:
- A – Tropical Climate
- B – Dry Climate
- C – Temperate Climate
- D – Continental Climate
- E – Polar Climate
Each of these climate zones has its own unique weather patterns and characteristics. They break down further into subtypes. For example, tropical rainforest climate, tropical monsoon climate, and tropical wet and dry climate are subtypes of the tropical climate zone.
Global Warming Impacts in the Tropics
Regions that experience tropical climates include Central Africa, southern parts of Asia, the Pacific Ocean Islands, Central America, parts of South America, and parts of North Australia.
Trees in tropical rainforests remove massive amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere — which helps decrease global warming. However, a 2°C temperature increase could make trees die faster and release CO2 back into the atmosphere, according to a 2020 research study published in Science journal. Hotter and drier weather also poses wildfire threats.
Rising temperatures and changing rainfall amounts in the tropics threaten the highest number of species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and trees in the world, according to a James Cook University Australia report.
Climate changes that increase humidity also put humans at risk for heat stress. People in tropical coastal communities have lost livelihoods due to dying coastal reef systems.
Global Warming Impacts in Dry Climate
The dry (aka desert) climate zone covers 14.2% of land area on Earth. It has two subtypes: hot desert climate and cold desert climate.
Vast portions of North Africa, Western Asia, northern Mexico, and Southwestern United States are some regions that experience the hot desert climate. Midday summer temperatures range from 109°F to 115°F in these areas.
Global warming puts critical biocrust that covers desert soil at risk. Biocrust contains “fungi, lichens, mosses, blue-green algae, and other microbes, retains water and produces nutrients that other organisms can use,” according to a 2022 Science journal research study.
Lichens convert nitrogen in the air to a form that organisms can use, and populations are dying with temperature increases. Lichen shortages jeopardize biocrusts and the arid ecosystems they support.
Photo: Monika Mlynek via 123RF
Global Warming Impacts in Temperate Climate
Temperate climate areas have wide temperature ranges throughout the year and varying seasons. The many temperate climate subtypes include:
- The humid subtropical climate.
- Temperate oceanic climate.
- Subpolar oceanic climate.
- Hot-summer Mediterranean climate.
Regions in the temperate climate zone include southeastern parts of all continents except Antarctica, parts of New Zealand, southern Chile, coastal Iceland, Scotland, Argentina, western interior parts of California, and southern Oregon.
Rising sea levels cause beach erosion, flooding, and other issues in temperate coastal areas. In South Carolina, for example, the sea level around Charleston is 10 inches higher than it was in 1950, and floods have increased by 75% across the state since 2000. Severe floods and increasing storm intensity can decimate entire cities and claim lives.
Other Global Warming Climate Impacts
Global warming concerns in the climate zones above only address a few current and potential issues in those areas. Many other climate impacts adversely affect regions around the world, according to the most recent IPCC report. They include:
- Ocean warming and acidification have impacted food production from fisheries and shellfish aquaculture.
- Increases in extreme heat events in all regions have caused human mortality and morbidity.
- Human mortality from droughts, floods, and storms was 15 times higher from 2010-2020.
- Climate-related food-borne and water-borne diseases have increased.
- Heat extremes have caused mass mortality events on land and in the oceans.
- Sea ice is melting rapidly in Arctic regions, and glaciers are shrinking.
- Wildfires have caused heat, malnutrition, and harm.
Despite progress, scientists urge the world to urgently reduce greenhouse gas emissions and shift from burning fossil fuels. The future of the planet depends on it.
