There are over 100 effects of global warming, ranging from the small-scale to the grandest of things, which can affect the Earth, the environment, and human life. Some of the effects may already be occurring, while others are being perceived to occur.

As the Earth's climate is projected to change dramatically over the years, the planet (and everything and everybody living on it) may experience large-scale and possibly irreversible effects at continental and global scales. Here are some examples of projected effects of global warming.

Extreme weather

Increasing temperatures is said to lead to an increase in rain in some areas. There is also an increase in storm strength leading to extreme weather. Hurricanes can become stronger than previously experienced.

Increased evaporation

As the climate and the oceans become warmer, evaporation will increase. This will cause heavier rainfall, as well as more erosion that would affect vulnerable tropical areas. Forests would dwindle and may turn into desserts is some areas, but the reverse would happen in other parts of the world because of increased rainfall.

Glacial retreat

Glaciers around the world begin to shrink rapidly since 1980 as the climate warmed. Excluding the Arctic and the Antarctic, the total surface area of glaciers worldwide has decreased by 50% since the end of the 19th Century. There have been massive losses of glaciers in the Andes, Alps, Himalayas, Rocky Mountains, and North Cascades.

The loss of glaciers directly causes landslides, flash floods, and glacial lake overflow, as well as an increase in annual variation in water flows in rivers. Some regions of the world would lose their water supply due to disappearing glaciers, while other areas (such as Greenland) become lush in vegetation.

Rising sea levels

With an increase in average global temperature, the water in the oceans expands in volume mostly because of the melting glaciers and ice sheets. This effect is especially felt in several small tropical islands in the Pacific Ocean, as their land slowly dwindles in size.

These effects have their respective consequences, such as massive migrations from island nations to extinction of certain species of tress and animals. If people do not act now, these possible scenarios could become a grim reality.