The general population is uninformed about global climate change, and many people are unaware of how global warming could effect the human population. There are many reasons for the "average" person to care about global climate change. The IPCC's "best estimate" scenario projects a sea-level rise of about half a meter by the year 2100. The impacts of these rising oceans would be tremendous, including increased flooding, coastal erosion, salination of aquifers, and loss of coastal cropland and living space. A warming climate will also affect public health. Higher average temperatures mean more intense heat waves, corresponding to potential for more cases of severe heat stress. The geographic range of temperature-sensitive tropical diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever, would also expand. As temperatures warm, and episodes of droughts and floods become more frequent, the incidence of water-borne diseases and a resurgence and spread of infectious diseases carried by mosquitoes and other disease vectors would probably increase.