Nearly every country will be affected by global warming, with average temperatures changing all over the earth.

The UK

The 11/2-meter rise will also drastically change the coastline of Britain. There will be hundreds of 'lost towns' along the coasts of the UK, which will be completely submerged by 2050. Over the next 100 years, the average annual temperature in the south of the UK is predicted to rise by around 3.5 to 4°C. In the far north, the increase is predicted to be around 2.5°C. The warming will greater in the summer, when temperature in the UK will be at their highest.

Overall, a slight reduction is predicted in the annual rainfall total over the UK. However this covers very large season changes. In summer, some parts of the UK will be as much as 50% drier, while in winter they may become up to 30% wetter.

Rising temperatures, more rainfall and higher sea levels all mean that many natural habitats will be lost. The plants and animals in the south of England vary greatly from those in the north of Scotland - they have all found a climate that suit's them. If the temperature raises; many species may move north to find somewhere they are comfortable but may then find it too wet. Also the increased competition from other species may mean that many won't survive.

Sea levels may rise which would mean that some wildlife reserves along the coast could be flooded. Scientists think that storm surges may be worse and the defences used at the moment to stop these damaging the coast line may not be good enough.

Farmers may find that different crops grow successfully. For example, the warm wet winters over the whole country would favour potatoes and the dry hot summers in the south of England would mean that grapes grow well. This may mean that farmers have to change their crops completely.

The World as a whole

Billions will have to be spent on sea defences, as coastal lines will be battered by waves. Nearly every country will be affected by global warming, with average temperatures changing all over the earth. There could be changes in the amount of cereals that various countries can grow with small increases in North America, China, Argentina and much of Europe and decreases in Africa, the Middle East and particularly India.

There will be more places where malaria will flourish. About 290 million more people will be at risk by the 2080s, particularly in China and central Asia. There will also be other explosions in the parasite population. There will also be new mutant hybrid bugs and insects.

The amount of water available from rivers may change due to changing rainfall patterns. There could be less available in Australia, India, southern Africa, South America, Europe and the Middle East, and more available in North America, Asia and central eastern Africa. By 2080, about 3 billion people will have more problems with their water supplies. About 2.5 billion people will have more water than they do now.