Climate Change – The Consequences


Climate change is almost an established fact among environmental scientists. The question that arises is what the environmental consequences of climate change are on organisms on land, in sea, in the cold and arctic regions and in the warmer spots upon our planet Earth.

All living creatures in the world operate within a cycle of procreation and are part of the food chain. As such, they depend on various factors out of which temperature, as important as it may be, is only one. Other factors include amount of precipitation or growth rate. Factors, such as the length of day and night, are less dependent on temperature (and thus climate change) though they are essential to the fabric of life. Shifts in the diurnal time tables may be the cause of the extinction of whole species.

For example, birds' migration season depends solely on the length of day which changes throughout the shifts in yearly seasons. So it will be accurate to claim greenhouse gases and climate change will not directly influence the migration of birds. On the other hand, plants' blossoming season is greatly influenced by temperature. So birds indirectly do suffer from shifts in the blossoming season (they depend on food plants provide). Scientists with a broader perspective relate to the violations of the natural balance that is generated by climate change.
The case of the salmon fish is another noticeable example. The salmon travels long distances in the ocean till it reaches the cold rivers in Canada. There it swims up the stream to the coldest places to lay its eggs. Today, due to climate change, the salmon is forced to travel further north in the ocean. Some speculate that in the near future, in order to reach he cold places it requires, the salmon will be forced to cross the Bering Strait.

If we turn further north to the tundra regions, in northern Finland new species of plants unseen before have recently taken root. These plants would normally be seen in southern regions and their appearance on tundra lands is a clear testimony of climate change and rise in temperature. The spread of these plants at the expanse of former plants may diminish the reindeer's source of food.
Yet most of all, climate change and consequent temperature rise influence the reproduction of insects. The spread of malaria in different places around the world undoubtedly stems from the expansion of the mosquito's habitat.

Last but not least, rise of sea water temperature has devastative effects. Warm water extends and so sea level increases. Today, environmental experts claim, sea water has already covered 15 per cent of coastal areas around the globe. In the future, this problem will be more severe. And of course, the greater the volume of water in the oceans, the more intense hurricanes become.

To sum up, the disappearance of the dinosaurs 60 million years ago serves as a reminder of the dangerous results of climate change. If we as human beings do not want to follow our reptile predecessors, we should start thinking seriously about ways to battle climate change.

01.05.2008. 23:36