Greenhouse Effect
A worldwide greenhouse effect might produce a dangerously warmer world.
Since the late 19th century,the average global temperature has increased between
0.54° F and 1.08° F (0.3° C and 0.6 ° C).Internationally,1990 was the hottest
year on record since official weather records first started being kept by the British
in about 1860.
Estimates (估計(jì)) of global average temperatures have projected (突出) an
increase of as much as 9° F(5° C) before the year 2100.Such a rise in global temperature would produce new patterns (模式) and extremes of drought (干旱) and rainfall,which would seriously disrupt (破壞) food production.This could potentially (潛在地) cripple (削弱) the North American corn belt (北美生產(chǎn)玉米的地帶）,which produces much of the world's grain,leading to much higher food prices,and even less food for the Third World than they already have.However,it would also mean that some countries which are further north would be able to grow crops they had never been able to before,although there is less land as you move north from the corn belt.
The other serious worry is that rising sea levels from the melting of the polar (極地的) ice caps could severely flood many countries.A rise in sea levels of one metre,which many experts are predicting (預(yù)言) by the year 2100 (and some as soon as 2030),would flood 15 percent of Egypt,and 12 percent of Bangladesh (孟加拉國(guó)) .The Maldives (馬爾代夫) in the Indian Ocean would almost completely disappear.Most of the countries which would suffer most from a rise in sea levels are the poor island states,so the islands in the Caribbean (加勒比海),South Pacific,Mediterranean and Indian Ocean have formed the Alliance (聯(lián)盟) of Small Island States,AOSIS,so they have a louder voice in internatioanl politics and can make the richer developed world listen to their problems.Closer to home,Britain would lose most of East Anglia (英格蘭的拉丁名稱(chēng)),and to protect the coast line would cost an estimated 5 to 10 billion pounds.