Since the Global Warming: Early Warning Signs map was originally released in November 1999, the picture of how global warming can affect us has become increasingly clear. By now it is very apparent that a warming climate could have substantial and direct impacts on the health of our ecosystems, food and water sources, and on humans, especially children and the elderly. It is well understood that these impacts will occur around the globe and will disproportionately affect the poorest members of our global community.

We have undertaken an update of the map (winter 2003) to reflect our growing knowledge of the impacts of global warming. For this update, we have focused on many of the regions for which we had little data in 1999. Below is a list of the new map points. These are listed by event type.

Heat waves and periods of unusually warm weather

The map highlights places that have recently experienced record warmth in regions with a century-long warming trend (1901-1996). Frequent and severe heat waves lead to increases in heat-related illness and death, especially in urban areas and among the elderly, the young, the ill, and the poor.

90. Southern India - Heat wave, May 2002. In the state of Andhra Pradesh temperatures rose to 120�F (49�C), resulting in the highest one-week death toll on record (NCDC, 2002a). This heat wave came in the context of a long-term warming trend in Asia in general. India, including southern India, has experienced a warming trend at a rate of 1�F (0.6�C) per century (IPCC, 2001b; NCDC, 1999). http://www.climatehotmap.org/

http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org/

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2001