Sea rise as a consequence of global warming would immediately threaten that large fraction of the globe living at sea level. Nearly one-third of all human beings live within 36 miles of a coastline. Most of the world"s great seaport cities would be 1 : New Orleans, Amsterdam, Shanghai, and Cairo. Some eountries—Maldives Islands in the Indian Ocean, islands in the Pacific—would be inundated. Heavily populated coastal areas such as in Bangladesh and Egypt, 2 large populations occupy low-lying areas, would suffer extreme 3 .
Warmer oceans would spawn stronger hurricanes and typhoons, 4 in coastal flooding, possibly swamping valuable agricultural lands around the world. 5 water quality may result as 6 flooding which forces salt water into coastal irrigation and drinking water supplies, and irreplaceable, natural 7 could be flooded with ocean water, destroying forever many of the 8 plant and animal species living there.
Food supplies and forests would be 9 affected. Changes in rainfall patterns would disrupt agriculture. Warmer temperatures would 10 grain-growing regions pole-wards. The warming would also increase and change the pest plants, such as weeds and the insects 11 the crops.
Human health would also be affected. Warming could 12 tropical climate bringing with it yellow fever, malaria, and other diseases. Heat stress and heat mortality could rise. The harmful 13 of localized urban air pollution would very likely be more serious in warmer 14 . There will be some 15 from warming. New sea-lanes will open in the Arctic, longer growing seasons further north will 16 new agricultural lands, and warmer temperature will make some of today"s colder regions more 17 . But these benefits will be in individual areas. The natural systems— both plant and animal—will be less able than man to cope and 18 . Any change of temperature, rainfall, and sea level of the magnitude now 19 will be destructive to natural systems and living things and hence to man as well.
The list of possible consequences of global warming suggests very clearly that we must do everything we can now to understand its causes and effects and to take all measures possible to prevent and adapt to potential and inevitable disruptions 20 by global warming.