Introduction

It is important to reduce emissions because greenhouse gas emissions cause climate change, which causes the ice caps to melt, stronger storms, stronger heat waves, more wildfires, and coral bleaching. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide, and sulfur dioxide. It also releases other oxides of nitrogen (NOx), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs); these make smog (a mixture of smoke and fog), and when they react together, and with heat and sunlight, they produce ozone. Deforestation increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, because plants, including trees, take in carbon dioxide (and release oxygen). In this article, I will talk about the negative effects of these emissions.

Melting Ice Caps 

First, climate change causes the ice caps to melt. This causes animals that live on ice caps and cannot live in water, like polar bears, penguins, and arctic foxes to become endangered and extinct. Freshwater from melting ice caps can slow down the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC).  AMOC gives places like Western Europe their mild climates. If it slows down, some places will get colder, and other places will get warmer.

Sea Level Rise

Melting ice caps put more water into the ocean, and this causes the sea level to rise. If all the ice caps melted, most coastal cities would be flooded, or even at the bottom of the ocean. Wilmington, North Carolina, was flooded because of sea level rise caused by man-made climate change. Hurricane Sandy was stronger because of sea level rise, and caused about $65 billion in damage.

Stronger Storms

Also, climate change causes stronger storms, because warmer air has more energy. The warmer matter is, the more energy it has, and the more its molecules move around. Strong storms can damage buildings, houses, power lines (causing power outages), and trees. They can also cause flooding. Hurricane Harvey had more precipitation because of warmer seas, and caused about $125 billion in damage.

Heat Waves

In addition, the warmer temperatures also cause stronger heat waves. Heat waves are bad because they can make people overheat. They can also cause power outages (even for people who produce their own electricity, for example, having solar panels on their house) because air conditioners are used much more during heat waves. This will also increase electricity use, which will cause more emissions.

More Droughts

Warmth from global warming causes droughts because it is getting warmer. Also, some places rely on ice or snow for water, and global warming is causing ice caps, glaciers, and snow to melt. Droughts reduce water supply, which greatly affects crops, animals, and people. Droughts also cause wildfires.

More Intense Wildfires

Plus, climate change is also causing more intense wildfires that spread faster, because climate change makes it warmer, and due to that, it also gets drier. This burns down trees, which causes more climate change. Burning down trees causes climate change because trees take in carbon dioxide, and release oxygen, and because this releases the stored carbon in the trees back into the air. Some wildfires caused by droughts are the Middle Yukon and Ruby Area Fires in Alaska (330,824 acres), Cornet-Windy Ridge Fire  in Oregon (103,887 acres), Okanogan Complex Fire in Washington (88,161 acres), North Star Fire in Washington (88,000 acres), and the Chelan Complex Fire in Washington (84,855 acres).