Recent climate models project the following possibilities:

• Temperature. A warmer atmosphere is less able to regulate temperature fluctuations.
  
  By 2100, the Midwest will be warmer, sometimes extremely so. Average
  temperatures are likely to rise by an average of three degrees Fahrenheit, but heat waves will spikes as high as 10-20 degrees above normal during summer. Heat-related deaths will rise.
  
  
• Water. A warmer atmosphere intensifies and disrupts precipitation patterns (the hydrologic cycle).
  
  The result is more extreme weather, with intensified flood and drought cycles, and unseasonable precipitation. These factors all contribute to soil erosion, run-off, and damage to waterways.
  
  Most current climate models project episodes of extreme drought (but a few suggest the possibility of a rainforest effect). Either way, humidity will increase. Surface waters could decline, and dependence on groundwater could increase (a problem, given the declining Ogallala aquifer and reservoirs that are silting in, throughout many parts of the Midwest).
  
  The impact of global warming and climate change on tornados are not fully understood, but scientists suspect that a warmer atmosphere increases tornados’ intensity.
  
  
• Growing Things. Agriculture and gardens will still probably exist in most of the Midwest, but will look much different. Some things will grow more, some less, some not at all, and some things will grow where they never could before.
  

  Staple Crops. Wheat is temperature-sensitive, and corn is moisture-sensitive – so climate change affects them both. Wheat production will likely shift north toward Canada. Corn production will depend more and more on irrigation and will otherwise be at the mercy of increasingly unpredictable and intense precipitation.
  
  Weeds, Insects and Disease. Higher temperatures lead to increases in weeds, insects, and pathogens – which mean more pesticides, fungicides, etc. More of these agricultural chemicals means increased groundwater contamination and non-point source pollution. Currently many of these chemicals are derived from fossil fuels, and their prices are rising.
  
  Impact on stock. Higher temperatures are hard on animals, and heat stress compromises both beef and milk production. For grazing, excess CO2 from greenhouse gases might make the grass grow better for a while. However, higher temperatures also eventually result in declines of soil carbon and nitrogen, which in turn affects both grazing and growing of feed crops.
  
  Familiar landscapes. Kansas, for example, risks becoming too hot to support its common varieties of the state flower and state tree – the sunflower and cottonwood. Increased CO2 levels, however, cause dandelions and poison ivy to flourish.

• Ecosystems, Wildlife and Conservation. Increased pressure on agricultural lands to meet food, fiber, and energy needs will compromise conservation, habitat protection, and wildlife populations.
  
  Climate is a major, even determining factor in shaping an ecosystem. Species within an ecosystem – plants, animals, and microorganisms –all adapted to their climate over long spans of time.
  

  Ripple effect. Climate change can impact the biosphere and its species in infinite related ways. For example, run-off and erosion from torrential rains can hurt fish and other members of aquatic ecosystems. Many animals have already experienced changes in breeding seasons, migration patterns, population trends, etc. Trees bloom earlier, growing seasons are shifting, insects emerge earlier in the spring… more research on these changes emerges every day.
  
  Loss of Biodiversity. Biodiversity is already under incredible pressure from human civilization and its land use patterns. As climate change accelerates, waves of species extinctions and invasions will take place. Some species will disappear forever while others colonize new territories.
  
  Concerns for conservation. Traditional energy technologies based on fossil fuels certainly have major impacts on wildlife. However, if not implemented sustainably, even renewable energies can have negative impacts as well.
  
  For example, some ecosystems are simply too fragile to survive biomass extraction, and excessive water usage is a major problem in the production of biofuels.
  
  Likewise, while wind turbines have been extensively redesigned to have less impact on birds, more study is needed to investigate exactly what effects still exist.

• Economic and Social Changes. Most studies are still trying to understand the impacts of climate change on nature, but human culture – our everyday lives – will inevitably change as well.

  Lessons from History. The Dust Bowl still lives on in the minds of many Midwesterners. During the 1930s climate shifts, economic factors, and farming practices combined to create this decade-long natural disaster – and note, climate was only a portion of that problem.
  
  More recently, the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita give an idea of how flooding can cause major problems. Flooding will also result from the sea level rise caused by melting polar ice caps and thermal expansion. It will force similar widespread evacuations from coastal zones, causing refugees to retreat to inland states in search of homes, food, and fresh water.
  
  Globally, 2/3 of the world’s population (most from poor and developing countries) lives near the coasts and is at risk.