Name: ___________________________________________________________________ Date:_________ Period:_____
Biology: Unit 2 - Ecology & Human Impact
Version A: Consequences of Global Warming Annotation Practice
Essential Question: How do I impact my planet? How does my planet impact me?
Part 1:
Directions: Below is an excerpt from an article. Read and annotate the article below and complete the corresponding
graphic organizer.
The Cost of Global Warming
The planet is warming, from North Pole to South Pole, and everywhere in between. Globally, the temperature has already
increased 1°F (0.8 °C), and even at the poles of the earth. The effects of rising temperatures are happening right now. Signs
are appearing all over, and some of them are surprising.
Scientists and economists (people who study finances and business) are beginning to deal with the serious economic and
environmental consequences if we fail to the amount of carbon entering the atmosphere quickly and drastically. The most
expensive thing we can do is nothing.

Damage to property and infrastructure (i.e. structures/buildings that are needed for a society to operate). Due to
increased heat being trapped on earth, sea-levels are rising, floods, droughts, wildfires, and extreme storms are
becoming more frequent, and a lot of repairs to homes, roads, bridges, railroad tracks, airport runways, power lines,
dams, levees (walls that prevent rivers from overflowing), and seawalls are being required more and more.

Lost productivity. Disruptions in daily life related to climate change can mean lost work and school days and harm trade,
transportation, agriculture, fisheries, energy production, and tourism. Heavy rainfall events and snowstorms can delay
planting and harvesting, cause power outages, increase traffic, delay air travel, and otherwise make it difficult for people
to go about their daily business. Climate-related health risks also reduce productivity, such as when extreme heat delays
construction, or when more potent allergies and more air pollution lead to lost work and school days.

Mass migration (movement) and security threats. Global warming is likely to increase the number of "climate
refugees"—people who are forced to leave their homes because of drought, flooding, or other climate-related disasters.
Mass movements of people and social disruption may lead to public unrest, and might even trigger military intervention
and other unintended consequences.

Coping costs. Societies may find ways to prepare for and cope with some climate impacts—provided that we do not let
our carbon pollution continue unchanged.
For example, farmers might need to irrigate, or supply water, to areas previously kept watered by rain that are
experiencing drought, cool vulnerable livestock that are experiencing extreme heat, and manage new or more abundant
pests since weather isn’t cold enough to kill them anymore. Local and state governments that take early steps to ensure
that houses are more energy efficient, and build early warning systems for heat waves and disasters, and add emergency
responders, are more likely to cope with extreme events. Governments may also have to build seawalls, contain sewer
overflows, and strengthen bridges, subways, and other components of the transportation system.
Rebuilding after disasters strike is likely to prove even more costly than these preventive measures, studies show. And
these costs do not include those stemming from lives lost and other irreversible consequences of allowing heat-trapping
gases to accumulate unchecked in our atmosphere.
Part 2:
Directions: Based on the information you annotated in the article above your mission is to create a poster
raising awareness regarding the potential consequences of global warming.
Your visual should be…





Neat
Colorful
Include minimal words
Reflect a minimum of 3 key ideas you learned about in your article
Send a clear message to people who view our poster about the dangers of global warming
On the back of your visual include…




Your name
Your period
A creative/catchy title for your poster
A 1-2 paragraph summary explaining what you learned about potential hazards of global warming, how
human activity is causing these changes, and how your poster reflects that message.
Below are some examples of posters created by other artists.
Name: ___________________________________________________________________ Date:_________ Period:_____
Biology: Unit 2 - Ecology & Human Impact
Unit
Practice
Worksheet
Version B: Consequences of Global Warming Annotation Practice
Essential Question: How do I impact my planet? How does my planet impact me?
Part 1:
Directions: Below is an excerpt from an article. Read and annotate the article below and complete the corresponding
graphic organizer.
The Potential Impact of Global Warming on Water Supplies
The planet is warming, from North Pole to South Pole, and everywhere in between. Globally, the temperature has already
increased 1°F (0.8 °C), and even at the poles of the earth. The effects of rising temperatures are happening right now. Signs
are appearing all over, and some of them are surprising.
Humans use water for everything from drinking and bathing to growing crops, supporting livestock and fish farms,
shipping goods, generating electricity, and simply relaxing and having fun. Yet climate change is producing big changes in
this precious resource, threatening how much water is available, how easily accessible it is, and the quality of that water.

Decline in drinking water—both quantity and quality—is expected for these reasons:
o
o
o
o
City sewer systems may overflow during extreme rainfall events, gushing untreated sewage (polluted
water due to human waste) into drinking water supplies.
Loss of clean mountain snow due to early melting because of higher temperatures. This will ultimately
lead to less available of drinking water downstream later on because the supply will have melted too
early.
The shrinking of mountain glaciers threatens drinking water supplies for millions of people. Once these
glaciers are melting, that water no longer exists for people to drink from it.
Sea-level rise can lead to saltwater leaking into groundwater drinking supplies, especially in low-lying,
gently erasing coastal land.

Decline in irrigation supplies. Loss of mountain snowpack reduces the amount of water available for irrigation,
or supplying water to crops and land, downstream, while earlier spring snowmelt affects the timing. Saltwater
intrusion may contaminate the supply from groundwater. Saltwater dehydrates most organisms, doing the
opposite of fresh water.

Higher shipping costs. Lower lake and river levels may lower the ability of ships to carry freight safely due to the
danger of their hitting the ground or stop the use of large ships altogether—both of which may increase
shipping costs for food and other resources.

Disruptions to power supply. Lower lake and river levels may threaten the ability of hydroelectric plants to
generate enough energy, while higher temperatures may mean that water is too warm to cool coal and nuclear
power plants, leading to power brownouts. Shrinking mountain glaciers threaten the ability to make electricity
as well.

Effects on recreation. Reduced snowpack and earlier spring snowmelt put traditional winter sports, such as
skiing and snowmobiling, at risk, while lower water levels in lakes and rivers increase the costs of maintaining
fun activities such as pleasure boat docks and even beaches.
Part 2:
Directions: Based on the information you annotated in the article above your mission is to create a poster
raising awareness regarding the potential consequences of global warming.
Your visual should be…





Neat
Colorful
Include minimal words
Reflect a minimum of 3 key ideas you learned about in your article
Send a clear message to people who view our poster about the dangers of global warming
On the back of your visual include…




Your name
Your period
A creative/catchy title for your poster
A 1-2 paragraph summary explaining what you learned about potential hazards of global warming, how
human activity is causing these changes, and how your poster reflects that message.
Below are some examples of posters created by other artists.
Name: ___________________________________________________________________ Date:_________ Period:_____
Biology: Unit 2 - Ecology & Human Impact
Version C: Consequences of Global Warming Annotation Practice
Essential Question: How do I impact my planet? How does my planet impact me?
Part 1:
Directions: Below is an excerpt from an article. Read and annotate the article below and complete the corresponding
graphic organizer.
The Potential Impact of Global Warming on Food Availability
The planet is warming, from North Pole to South Pole, and everywhere in between. Globally, the temperature has already
increased 1°F (0.8 °C), and even at the poles of the earth. The effects of rising temperatures are happening right now. Signs
are appearing all over, and some of them are surprising.
Climate-related threats to producing food worldwide include risks to grain, vegetable, and fruit crops, livestock, and
fisheries.

Reduced amounts of food. The production of crops and livestock, including milk availability, may decline
because of high temperatures and drought-related stress prevent enough moisture and nutrients being available
to grow/raise these products.

Increased irrigation. Regions of the world that now depend on rain to grow crops may require irrigation, or
intentionally supplying water to crops and land, bringing higher costs and conflict over access to water.

Planting and harvesting changes. Shifting seasonal rainfall patterns and more severe precipitation (rain/snow)
events—and related flooding—may delay planting and harvesting due to colder weathers lasting longer in some
places.

Decreased land that can be used for agriculture. Prime growing temperatures may shift to higher latitudes,
where soil and nutrients may not be as suitable for producing crops, leaving lower-latitude areas less productive.

More pests (bugs that cause problems). Insect and plant pests may survive, or even reproduce more often each
year, if cold winters no longer keep them in check. New pests may also invade each region as temperature and
humidity conditions change. Lower-latitude pests may move to higher latitudes, for example. (i.e. mosquitoes
carrying malaria will live longer possibly infecting more people, making them sick.)

Risks to fisheries (places where mass amounts of fish are caught to sell for food). Shifts in the abundance and
types of fish and other seafood may hurt commercial fisheries, while warmer waters may pose threats to human
consumption, such as increasing the risk of infectious diseases. Extreme ocean temperatures and ocean
acidification place coral reefs-—the foundations of many of the world's fisheries-—at risk.

As with health risks, nations and individuals do not endure threats to the global food supply equally. Nations
that lose fertile land and critical fisheries may not have the resources or climate to pursue reasonable-cost
options for maintaining food security. Some nations are also at a greater risk to unfavorable international trade
agreements and regional conflict that may interrupt food distribution.
Part 2:
Directions: Based on the information you annotated in the article above your mission is to create a poster
raising awareness regarding the potential consequences of global warming.
Your visual should be…





Neat
Colorful
Include minimal words
Reflect a minimum of 3 key ideas you learned about in your article
Send a clear message to people who view our poster about the dangers of global warming
On the back of your visual include…




Your name
Your period
A creative/catchy title for your poster
A 1-2 paragraph summary explaining what you learned about potential hazards of global warming, how
human activity is causing these changes, and how your poster reflects that message.
Below are some examples of posters created by other artists.
Name: ___________________________________________________________________ Date:_________ Period:_____
Biology: Unit 2 - Ecology & Human Impact
Version D: Consequences of Global Warming Annotation Practice
Essential Question: How do I impact my planet? How does my planet impact me?
Part 1:
Directions: Below is an excerpt from an article. Read and annotate the article below and complete the corresponding
graphic organizer.
The Potential Impact of Global Warming on Health
The planet is warming, from North Pole to South Pole, and everywhere in between. Globally, the temperature has already
increased 1°F (0.8 °C), and even at the poles of the earth. The effects of rising temperatures are happening right now. Signs
are appearing all over, and some of them are surprising.
As our climate changes, the risk of injury, illness, and death from the resulting heat waves, wildfires, intense storms, and
floods rise.

Extreme heat. If high temperatures, especially when combined with high relative humidity (moisture in the air),
continue for several days (heat waves), and if nighttime temperatures do not drop, extreme heat can be a killer. Of all
climate-related projections by scientists, rising temperatures are the most strong. Higher temperatures are also the
most influenced by human behavior: the fewer heat-trapping gas emissions (i.e. CO2/CH4) we release into the
atmosphere, the cooler we can keep our planet. Because winter temperatures are rising faster than summer ones,
cold-related deaths are likely to decline.

"Natural" disasters. Estimated changes in temperature and precipitation (rain/snow) under global warming are likely
to lead to other effects that threaten human health and safety. For example, changing precipitation patterns and
prolonged heat can create drought, which can cause forest and peat fires, putting residents and firefighters in danger.
However, a warming atmosphere also holds more moisture, so the chance of extreme rainfall and flooding continues
to rise in some regions with rain or snow. In many heavily populated areas, sea-level rise is more likely to put people
in the path of storm surges and coastal flooding. Warmer ocean waters may cause more intense tropical hurricanes
and typhoons while ocean cycles continue to be a factor in the amount of tropical cyclones.

Poor air quality. Three key ingredients—sunlight, warm air, and pollution from power plants and cars burning coal
and gasoline—combine to produce ground-level ozone (smog), which humans experience as poor air quality. Higher
air temperatures increase pollution, if sunlight, fossil fuel pollution, and air currents remain the same.

Allergens and other annoyances. Warmer temperatures and higher concentrations of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere trigger some plants to grow faster, mature earlier, or produce more allergens. Common allergens such as
poison ivy seem to respond particularly well to higher concentrations of CO2, as do other pesky plants. Allergy-related
diseases rank among the most common and chronic illnesses that can lead to lower productivity.

Spreading diseases. Scientists expect a warmer world to bring changes in the processes that spread some diseases.
Insects previously stopped by cold winters are already moving to higher latitudes (toward the poles). Warmer oceans
and other surface waters may also mean severe cholera outbreaks and harmful bacteria in certain types of seafood.
Cholera is an infectious and often deadly bacterial disease of the small intestine that is typically contracted from
infected water supplies. Cholera causes severe vomiting and diarrhea. Still, changes in land use and the ability of
public health systems to respond make projecting the risk of vector-borne disease particularly difficult.
People do not bear the health risks of climate change equally because:

Climate trends differ by region. People who live in floodplains, for example, are more likely to see river or coastal
flooding. Similarly, people who live in regions with poor air quality today are at greater risk from poor air quality days
in the future.

Some people are more vulnerable to illness or death. Young children, the elderly, and those who are already ill are
less able to withstand high temperatures and poor air quality, for example. Temperature extremes and smog hit
people with heart and respiratory diseases, including asthma, particularly hard.

Wealthy nations are more likely to adapt to projected climate change and recover from climate-related disasters
than poor countries. Even within nations, less economically fortunate individuals are more vulnerable because they
are less likely to have air conditioning and well-insulated homes, and because they have fewer resources to escape
danger.
Better planning—through investments in infrastructure and public health strategies—can help communities become more
resilient in a warming world. However, the costs of coping with health risks linked to severe climate change are often higher
than the costs of curbing heat-trapping emissions in the first place.
Part 2:
Directions: Based on the information you annotated in the article above your mission is to create a poster
raising awareness regarding the potential consequences of global warming.
Your visual should be…





Neat
Colorful
Include minimal words
Reflect a minimum of 3 key ideas you learned about in your article
Send a clear message to people who view our poster about the dangers of global warming
On the back of your visual include…




Your name
Your period
A creative/catchy title for your poster
A 1-2 paragraph summary explaining what you learned about potential hazards of global warming, how
human activity is causing these changes, and how your poster reflects that message.
Below are some examples of posters created by other artists.