Global Warming has not caused the temperature to rise, but is rather a term used to describe an increase in temperatures seen around the world over the last few hundred years. Climate Change is a more accurate description of what is going on, as a consequence of this initial warming has meant a change in climate – whilst some areas continue to get hotter, others are generally getting colder or wetter.

It is thought that carbon emissions have helped trap the Sun’s rays into the Earth’s atmosphere, creating what is known as the greenhouse effect and warming the planet up. Whilst this is something that happens naturally, it is thought that this effect has been enhanced by emissions ever since the industrial revolution begun in the 18th Century.

In recent years, this has led to the melting of ice in both the Arctic and Antarctic. As the ice enters the sea, it cools down the ocean, disrupting the currents. For countries like the United Kingdom, where the climate is kept fairly warm due to warm sea currents, it could in the long term mean we see colder weather in the future rather than warming.

Some scientists believe that Global Warming has also led to an increase in El Niño and La Niña events in recent years. El Niño has led to flooding in countries such as Mexico and hurricanes in Hawaii, whilst at the same time Southern India and Australia saw droughts. La Niña on the other hand can lead to dry conditions in South America.

What started as Global Warming did see an increase in temperatures worldwide, and whilst average temperatures are still increasing, some countries are seeing other weather patterns as a result. Climate Change is therefore a better description of the global climate and temperature changes than Global Warming, as Earth is a big planet and the changes seen in one place may be the complete opposite of those seen on the other side of the world.

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The effects of global warming on the Arctic can be seen through the melting of the polar ice. 2012 has already seen a record thaw in the Arctic summer, and there are fears that, with less polar ice, storms will affect the European continent.

As a consequence of global warming, icebergs are breaking up and falling into the sea, which will ultimately lead to an increase in sea levels around the world. Just a rise in sea levels of 10 centimetres will have a devastating impact on coastal regions worldwide.

Icebergs can be both several miles high and wide. Because of their great size, when large icebergs start to melt then there will be an increase in water levels. The faster they melt, then the quicker the sea levels will rise. This, in turn, will give mankind less time to react to any major problems that may arise. With smaller icebergs also being affected by ice melt the cumulative effect of so much water pouring into the sea will prove to be a problem for humanity. It is already impacting on Arctic wildlife.

Because of the alarming change in their habitat, polar bears in the Arctic region are already dying in large numbers through starvation. The fear is that global warming is speeding up. Speeding up so much, in fact, that climate change predictions for 2050 are now having to be put in place for several decades earlier, even as early as 2020. Particularly at risk are populations in poor countries, which lack the necessary infrastructure to cope with a major flooding event.

Even countries that are technologically advanced will struggle to cope in a worst case scenario. Global warming may result in water shortages in southern areas of the UK, while elsewhere in the world low-lying islands may disappear under the sea.