Organisms and Climate Change - Coursework Example

Organisms and Climate Change Each day the ice is melting, oceanic levels are rising and habitatsare lost. This issue of global warming has severe consequences. There is evidence that animals, plants and birds have been affected in their distributional behavior. Earth’s climatic conditions and atmosphere are changing each day affecting oceans, ice, ecosystems, marine line, weather and our nations. Natural patterns of the world alone cannot count for these changes. Human activities including CO2 emissions, greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful gases by burning non-renewable resources each year add fire to the destruction of our atmosphere These everyday changes in climate are affecting our health, environment, people and economy. Some measures need to be immediately taken for the well-being of our environment ("Climate Change Science Overview"). Earths Climate Is Changing Earth’s temperature has risen by 1.3 degree Fahrenheit over the past 100 years, including the double increase in temperature at the Poles. Due to human interaction with the nature, a number of problems have been encountered by us, including: Precipitation patterns have changed and Ocean water levels due to ice melting, temperature and acidity have increased ("Climate Change Science Overview") Human Causes Can Explain These Changes Greenhouse gases have been the main cause of global warming and climatic changes throughout the globe. Greenhouse gases are the outcome of burning fossil, deforestation, storing waste in landfills and harmful discharge of industrial products ("Climate Change Science Overview"). Greenhouse gas emissions are not the sole cause of climatic changes. Road construction, chemical crops, agricultural land leftovers and pollution also contribute to climatic changes. These effects are practically witnessed more in urban areas that are warmer than the less populated areas. Release of aerosols in the atmosphere adds to pollution accounting for reduction of the sun’s energy reaching Earth ("Reducing Emissions"). These are some of the factors related to climatic changes that affect our lives: Rising water level in oceans is threatening marine life and ecosystems Changes have occurred in the amount, timing and flow of rainfall and water supplies effecting hydroelectricity The change in ecosystems is changing life patterns of plants and animals, with the change in their migration, reproduction, geographic and growth patterns and Increase in temperature is harshening health, with risks of cancer and other diseases within children and elderly ("Climate Change Science Overview"). Climatic changes are the worst threat to nature conservation. A number of people throughout the globe are working to counter the situation in order to help plants and animals save their native lands, provide mankind with clean and fresh supply of water, food and soil for people ("Extinction of Large Animals”). Climate Change Impacts and Adapting to Change Changing climate crashes society and ecosystems in a large number of ways including decreasing rainfall, influencing agriculture, affecting human health, causing forests to dry grounds and decreasing our energy supplies. Climatic changes in the environment are observed throughout the globe, impacting the economic conditions of each place. Many nations are working hard to adapt to the changing environmental conditions in a situation where these destructive conditions are expected to expand ("Climate Protection Initiatives"). Reducing Emissions If we remove the pollution caused by carbon in our environment, we will be able to bolster a cleaner and stronger energy economy. To prevent these dangerous conditions from getting worse, immediate obvious steps need to be taken to avoid the consequences. There are a number of ways that are both beneficial and cost-effective, including more efficient homes and businesses, improved disposal systems of industrial wastes and products, emending carbon pollution and cleaner or safer sources of energy ("Reducing Emissions"). These steps driven from common sense measures can help consumers at the pumps and energy usage points to build clean environment. The Clean Air Act can help bring protected air for us, improve our environment and support nation’s economy ("Climate Change Science Overview"). Greenhouse emissions start from driving a car, using electricity at homes and dumping garbage. In these circumstances, an individual’s responsibility to help secure the environment cannot be ignored. We can take efforts to reduce emissions by working on simple models such as managing electric usage, saving water and recycling products rather than just dumping them. Take action today to play your part in the global warming crisis ("Climate Change Science Overview"). A study published in 2004 by Nature says that nearly 37% of plants and animals will be extinct by 2050. This is due to the fact that changed conditions in habitats by 2050 will be the cause for the extinction of such species ("Climate Change: How We Work"). A number of researchers including Thuiller, Araujo, Person, Bukley, Roughgarden and Harte have expressed their concerns over the uncertain climatic conditions of near future. Thomas et al. made certain estimations while others believe that conditions might be worse than described by Thomas. Thomas said: "Even though further examination is needed into each of these parts, it is unlikely to result in considerably reduced approximation of extinction. Anthropogenic climate transformation seems set to make very large numbers of species extinctions" ("Climate Change: How We Work"). A number of other mechanistic studies are reporting extinctions due to current climatic changes. McLaughlin documented two species of bay checkerspot butterfly being threatened towards extinction due to precipitation change. Parmesan said: “There are still few studies that state the clear state of extinction for an entire species.” McLaughlin also agreed and said: “Few studies have tried to linked extinctions to recent climatic changes” ("Climate Change: How We Work"). One of the known animal species that is reported to be extinct in 2008 due to global warming is white lemuroid possum. . Still, one of the reports says that a small population of these possums in the mountainous forests of northern Queensland is severely threatened due the increase in temperatures at their habitats ("Climate Change: How We Work"). According to a journal research published in 2012 and titled “Proceedings of the Royal Society B,” recent climatic conditions and their models may pose problems as they have overlooked two important factors: the dissimilarity in the way species quickly move and competition among them. A team of researchers, led by Mark Urban, found that variety was enhanced by these factors as the competition increased; also, new species of organisms, which are extinct today, emerged as a consequence. This is the reason why researchers conclude that the rate of extinction might be higher than estimated ("Climate Change and Environmental Protection"). Works Cited "Climate Change and Environmental Protection." GeoPoliticsNorth. Web. 22 Sep 2012. . "Climate Change: How We Work." The Nature. Web. 22 Sep 2012. . "Climate Change Science Overview." Climate Change. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 22 Sep 2012 . "Climate Protection Initiatives." Pscleanair. Web. 22 Sep 2012 . "Extinction of Large Animals Due to Humans, Climate Change?" Hindustantimes. 6 Mar. 2012. Web. 22 Sep 2012 . "Reducing Emissions." Climate Change. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 22 Sep 2012 . Read More