If you pay any attention at all to current news, it’s hard to escape the debate over global climate change, also known as global warming. Many human activities are taking materials out of the earth and putting them into the atmosphere. Most of what is released are greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. Scientists believe this is causing a change in temperature patterns. While some areas will get colder, they think there is an overall warming trend over the globe. Here are just a few of the many ways global warming will affect us all.

1. Animals

Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about polar bears and how global climate change will affect them, but the truth is that there are thousands of species that will be affected by changing temperatures and sea levels. Like the polar bears, many Arctic and Antarctic animals will lose their habitat from ice caps melting. Others will simply not be able to survive with temperature, humidity, and precipitation patterns and will have to adapt, move, or die.

2. Sea Level Rise

With a global temperature rise, mountain glaciers will melt and eventually run into oceans. The additional water could raise sea levels by several feet. We’ve all seen the kind of devastation flooding can cause in major cities, but what most people don’t realize is how many of the world’s major cities and rural populations are within just a few feet of current sea levels. A rise of a few feet would put millions of homes and businesses underwater. While this may not be a huge problem for more affluent nations, people in third world countries could be left without homes and with few other options.

3. Disease

Changing temperatures could also affect the spread of certain diseases. Most diseases have a certain temperature range they survive best in. As the temperature pattern changes, so will the areas where a disease can survive and spread. While some areas may see a decrease in certain illnesses, others will see a dramatic rise. This is especially true for illnesses spread by insects such as mosquitoes, whose breeding and survival are affected by temperature and the availability of water.

4, Severe Storms

Not only will weather and temperature patterns change, but many scientists think it will increase the instance of severe weather. Severe thunderstorms, hurricanes, and even tornadoes could become more common and harder to predict. Many areas of the world are not equipped to deal with storms at current levels, let alone if they increase.

5. Crops

In most cases, higher temperatures mean less snow and more rain, especially in cold weather farming areas. Even if these areas get the same amount of total precipitation, they will get more during the winter, and less from spring snowmelt. This will affect the growth of many crop varieties that rely on this spring wet period. Many areas will simply get more or less rain, which also affects what crops can be successfully grown there.

Many people are skeptical about whether global warming actually exists and if it does, if it is caused by human actions. No matter what scientists, politicians, and anyone else says, the real answer is that we don’t know for sure. We can guess and speculate, but there’s no 100% sure way of knowing. However, does that mean we should sit around and do nothing?