Small Increases in Warming Could Wreak Worldwide Havoc, Scientists Warn

If overall global warming exceeds 5.5°F (3°C), many parts of the world are likely to see substantially increased risks of drought, floods, and wildfires, climate scientists say.

In addition, there will probably be large-scale changes in vegetation types, a U.K.-based research team reports in tomorrow's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

But if global warming is less than 3.5°F (2°C), the risks of such changes are much lower.

The most important message from the paper is that with stronger global warming, the risk of severe events becomes much more pronounced, said the study's lead author, Marko Scholze of the University of Bristol's QUEST (Quantifying and Understanding the Earth System) project.