This temperature increase can warm the oceans, melt polar ice, expand ocean volume, raise the sea level, and flood islands and coastal regions.

Regions with warmer climates will receive more precipitation than before, but the soil will dry out faster between showers. This could cause damage to food crops, disrupting food supplies in parts of the world. Plant and animal species would have to move toward the poles or higher elevations for cooler temperatures, and species that cannot make the journey would become extinct. Humans would become sick or die due to heat stress. Diseases in tropical regions, transmitted by mosquitoes and other animals, would be spread more widely as they move into once-cooler regions they couldn’t inhabit before.

The challenge today is managing the probable effects while taking steps to prevent drastic climate changes in the future.

The government can assist coastal populations in moving to higher ground. The United States can help plant and animal species survive by preserving habitat corridors, strips of undeveloped land running north and south. Species can gradually shift their ranges along these corridors, moving toward cooler habitats.

Keeping carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere by storing it somewhere else is a strategy called carbon sequestration. Carbon can be easily sequestered by preserving trees and planting more. Reforestation would maintain a balance and counter some of the greenhouse buildup.

Another option is to develop programs to conserve energy and promote alternative energy sources that will reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. Individuals can help by purchasing Energy Star appliances, adding insulation to their house, and recycling paper.

In order to become successful in reducing greenhouse gases, international cooperation is required. Over 100 countries have pledged to address the problem of greenhouse gases by signing a treaty. Industrialized nations that have signed the Kyoto Protocol must cut back their emissions by 2012.