Thursday, November 5, 2009

How will climate change affect organisms on Earth?


Many scientists will agree that climate change is already happening, and that we cannot stop it. The only thing we can do is to make sure we do not give more impact to climate change, and this can be done by significantly decreasing global greenhouse gas emission levels. This is what most scientists agree upon but the one thing where there are still many different theories among scientists is how will climate change affect organisms on Earth. This is still in the sphere of theories and predictions, though most agree that climate change will have extremely negative impact on most organisms that live on our planet.

The strongest organisms will yet again survive. The strongest here doesn't mean the biggest, it means species that will be able to adapt to new climate conditions on our planet. For instance world's largest land predator polar bear doesn't look to be having decent chance to survive climate change because these animals can't live without the ice, and ice is as many of you already know fast melting at Arctic.

In order for science to give us the exact answer on how will climate change affect organisms on Earth science would first have to know what exactly is going to happen in lets say 50 years from now. This can be only answered throughout different climate models, and we all know they are not 100% sure, they are only predictions, though it has to said supported by logic and scientific principles and past and current measurements.

If these climate models turn out to be true than what really awaits us is the real environmental disaster in many parts of the world. If Arctic is about to be ice free this will not only mean extinction to many polar animals like polar bears, but it will also cause sea level rise and many coastal areas could be hit with floods.

New changed climate conditions will require quick adaptation for many organisms, and the ones that fail to do so will find their place in history books. This is really the main reason why we have to slow down the current climate change impact because by doing so we will give more time to species to adapt to climate change, and this could mean survival of many different species.

Organisms across the planet will find it very hard to adapt to climate change, and higher temperatures. This won't effect just polar species, but for instance Africa will also become even hotter, meaning there will be less water and of course less food for not only animals, but also for human population. Species that live in tropical areas will also be in great jeopardy because they live in conditions where temperature difference between temperatures throughout the whole year is very small, and the question remains how many of them will survive once temperatures suddenly grow for few degrees of Celsius?

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