Disturbing facts about global warming - Global warming continues to be one of the biggest global concerns. Despite being somewhat ignored by some governments, and most recently by Donald Trump, the reality is that we can already see the damage that global warming is inflicting on our planet. Check out some of the most worrying facts about this issue.

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How does it happen? - Global warming is the result of an increase in the Earth's average temperature due to higher levels of gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. Though the processes which release these gases are important for human survival, excessive emissions are putting the planet at risk.

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In the atmosphere - Gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide remain in Earth's atmosphere for several years, making it impossible to completely eliminate the problem of global warming for several decades.

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Earth's average temperature - Earth's average temperature rose 0.85ºC between 1880 and 2012.

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The warmest decades - According to climate studies, the last two decades of the 20th century were the hottest in the last 400 years.

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Arctic ice - Ice in the Arctic is melting at a frightening speed. Some studies suggest that by 2040 the region will not have any ice in the summer.

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Glacier National Park - This glacier park is located in Montana, United States, and currently has 25 glaciers. In 1910 it had 150 glaciers.

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Carbon dioxide - In 2011, this greenhouse gas was being released into Earth's atmosphere at a speed of 1000 tons per second!

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Gases on Earth - The levels of carbon dioxide on Earth in the 20th century were the highest than they have been in 650,000 years.

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Levels per year - Human activities release about 37 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year into the atmosphere.

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What can happen in the future? - According to the most recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, between 2081 and 2100, Earth's average temperature is expected to rise from 1.5ºC to 4.5ºC.

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The first extinct animal - Scientists believe that the first animal to have become extinct as a result of global warming was the golden toad. They haven't been spotted since 1989.

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Trees - It is estimated that 40% of the trees in the Amazon may disappear by the end of the century if Earth's average temperature rises an extra 2 to 3 degrees.

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Deserts - Every year, about 2,000 sq km of land becomes desert due to lack of rainfall.

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Hottest years - All the years of the 21st century are among the hottest since 1880.

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Fossil fuels use - Fossil fuels are one of the biggest dangers to global warming, and in the last 30 years the consumption of this type of fuel has averaged 80% in the United States alone.

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Mosquitoes - Global warming is causing a swarm of mosquitoes to appear every year in the Arctic. The higher temperatures are too blame, and are even making these insects even bigger.

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Who believes? - Surveys estimated that about 31% of Caucasian Americans do not believe in global warming. In contrast, only 11% of Hispanics in the United States and 17% of African Americans do not believe in global warming.

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The first displacement - More than 100 residents of the island of Tegua, in the Pacific Ocean, were forced to evacuate their homes due to flooding. This was the first reported case of a population displacement caused by global warming.

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Lightning - There are currently 25 million lightning strikes every year. However, scientists believe that with every degree that Earth's temperature rises, lightning strikes could rise by as much as 12%!

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Worrying increase - Arctic climates such as Alaska, Canada, and Russia have experienced a rise in temperature twice as fast as the global average in the last century.

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Polar bears - According to the World Wide Fund (WWF), polar bears may become extinct in the next 20 years if temperatures continue to rise.

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Heat and birth rates - According to a study published in the National Bureau of Economic Research in the United States, rising temperatures are causing world birth rates to decline. This is because it has been concluded that the heat causes people's libido to decrease.

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Countries with highest level of gas emissions - The United States is the country that releases the most greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and accounts for 27% of carbon dioxide emissions. Next are China and Russia.

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Cars - It is estimated that, on average, a car produces about four times its weight in carbon dioxide.

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2014 - August 2014 was the warmest month ever recorded globally.

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Cows - Believe it or not, cows emit more methane than the oil industry and are seen as one of the main causes of global warming.

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The warmest year - 2016 was the hottest year on record.

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Settled dispute - Global warming has settled a dispute between India and Bangladesh. How? The two countries were in contention for many years over the 'New Moor' island, but the island eventually disappeared due to rising sea levels.

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Marshall Islands - This small country in Micronesia may cease to exist if Earth's average temperature rises by 2 ° C.

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Winter - It's been over 30 years since Earth had a colder winter than usual. Temperatures have remained the same or increased.

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Hole - The hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica is currently twice as large as the European continent.

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Donald Trump - Donald Trump is the only leader of a large, industrialized country to deny the existence of global warming caused by human activity.

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