Copenhagen: If countries don't take action to combat climate change, then by the end of the century temperatures the world over will rise by 2 to 4 degrees, according to the United Nations climate panel.

But what does this mean for the planet?

A warmer planet means sea levels will rise, wiping out low lying coastal regions. Cities like Mumbai and Kolkata could be submerged and islands like the Maldives, Tuvalu, Haiti could disappear, or become uninhabitable.

Global warming will lead to more extreme weather occurrences. If the current rate of temperature rising continues, we'll see more storms, floods and droughts.

Also, the impact on agriculture will be devastating in some regions with land facing desertification, thereby affecting the food security of countries. But changing temperatures could actually benefit agriculture in colder regions.

The ecosystems will change, impacting different animal species and if the Arctic loses ice the polar bears will lose their habitat.

Global warming will extend zones for insects increasing incidents of infectious diseases like dengue and malaria. In countries like India , this may lead to higher incidence of such diseases.
The most devastating impact of climate change will be on the developing, poorer nations - as predicted by the IPCC, it will be "the poorest of the poor" who will be the main victims of climate change.

Tags: Climate, Earth, planet, polar ice, summit