Global Warming- How are Animals Affected by Global Warming
Posted: Thursday, August 16, 2007
by Kelvin Ho
It is not a secret that we humans have been destroying the environment for years. It is now that some of us are trying to make all people aware of the affects that our lack of care has had on the environment and what will happen if we do not make changes now and try to stop the progress of global warming. Our focus, or drive, is the thought of what type of world are we leaving our children. We also need to be looking at how global warming is affecting our animals now and in the future if we do not stop and make the needed environmentally safe changes.
Marmots no longer hibernate the same amount of time that they used to. Actually compared to thirty years ago, they are ending hibernation three weeks earlier. The Canadian red squirrel is breeding 18 days earlier. Studies are showing that the red fox is moving north and invading the territory of its Arctic cousin. Polar bears are not as healthy as they were 20 years ago and they are thinner.
If we look at the sea and our creatures there we also see changes that should cause alarm. Coral reefs are expected to increase by up to a third in size. Elephant seal pups are thinner because their prey is migrating to cooler waters. Our turtles are changing behavior as well, the loggerhead is laying eggs 10 days earlier and the Hawkbill turtle hatchlings are having more females then males due to temperature changes. Birds are changing their diets to insects that do not consume leaves that have been treated with high amounts of pesticides. What does all of this mean? It means that global warming is going to cause many of our animal species to become endangered if not extinct.
The melting ice, the warm seas, the spreading dessert are all threats to our animals. These changes, no matter how subtle have a dramatic influence on the lives of our wildlife. In the sea the disappearance of the tiny organisms that the larger creatures feed off of is causing the sea life to migrate northward. Keeping in mind that global warming plays a huge part in our weather and climate, the increased storminess destroys the breeding colonies of the albatross that already battle the possibility of being captured and killed by fishing boats. The rise in sea levels wipe out the nesting sites of the sea turtles, seals and wading birds are also on the list of species to be affected by their habitats being destroyed.
Thought the very source of nature is change, and adaptation, the changes that are taking place in our environment due to global warming are just happening to fast. The speed is what makes it difficult for the animals to adapt effectively and this will cause us to loose a lot of our wildlife. Can you imagine a world with no reindeer? What about the day that the Sahara dessert covers all of Africa and makes migration impossible for birds?
These are changes that we can see everyday and we need to start paying attention to them. The predicted elevation of sea level by an amazing three feet coupled with the disruptions to the Earth’s life support systems should be our wake up call. While you can look out your back window and see these changes taking place, the full effect will be seen by the year 2100 if the predictions of scientist come through and we do not change our ways. Think about is, 2100 is less then one hundred years away. You and I would probably not be here, but our grandchildren will and what will we have left for them? Help stop global warming, do your part to save the Earth, our children and our wildlife. They need us.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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More commentsa little bit
well... i don't really know.. too many words and I don't wanna read them.... but it's cool that you care about the environment enough to do this..
its not really to much info its just.... to much info
umm is it possible for food to be affected?
This is so sad. I'm glad this is here so we can learn more about what we can do to save animals!
This was a great article. It helps people to learn that Global Warming is really serious. I don't think they realize that. Gosh people, get off your butts and plant a tree or something. Help SAVE the Earth!!!
no too complcated
GLOBAL WARMING IS NOT REAL!!!!!!!
Yes this article was really helpful
It is very true! There are many facts that are currently saying that Global Warming is a false thing. I do agree the climate is changing, but not so that the entire Earth's climate is at the same time. It is most likely getting hardly any warmer in the northern-climate, however it will not go to the extreme to make Polar Bears or any other kind of animal extinct. They (the so-called scientists who discovered "global warming") do not even consider the many other countries and how the weather is changing there. The many organizations set to reduce our "effects" on the so-called "global warming" are getting billions of dollars worldwide for something that is not happening. People say to plant trees to "reduce" our effect on the climate change, however i consider that you watch the series, "Planet Earth". See that there are still billions of trees on earth, most of which cannot even be cut down for lumber and such. Although this article, in my opinion, is not true, I still do believe that the climate is changing, however not so that islands will be drowned and cities washed away.
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