Endangered Species and Climate Change Although the debate around climate change still continues, many species around the world are being affected by warming temperatures. Some may argue that the Earth is going through a natural warming cycle, while others may argue that the warmer temperatures are a product of global warming and excessive greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Regardless of the cause, it is certain that many food webs and natural habitats are being destroyed by the rise in global surface temperatures. Because over 350 wildlife species are threatened by this warming, scientists and leaders across the world are calling for action around one aspect of the problem that we can control—greenhouse gas emissions.
Carbon dioxide is one of the most abundant heat-trapping greenhouse gases in our atmosphere and it is directly linked to human activity. Unfortunately, polar bears in Alaska, monk seals in Hawaii, sea otters in California, sea turtles in Florida, and corals throughout the world are paying the price for our emissions. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, “Atmospheric CO2 currently stands at about 387 parts per million. Scientists, including the head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Jim Hansen, formerly of NASA, have called on world leaders to reduce that level to 350 parts per million. Doing so will require the United States to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent or more below 1990 levels by 2020.”1 Sadly, studies also conclude that if carbon dioxide levels continue to rise at their current rate, over 35% of species could face extinction by 2050. The Center for Biological Diversity outlines some of the species that are directly threatened by warming temperatures:2
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• PACIFIC WALRUS: Early in October 2009, Arctic sea ice reached the third-lowest level ever recorded, creating ripe condition for dangerous stampedes as walruses move to shore in large numbers. In 2009 alone up to 200 young Pacific walruses were trampled to death in Alaska. On September 8, 2009, the Fish and Wildlife Service announced a positive initial finding on the Center’s petition to list the walrus under the Endangered Species Act due to global warming.
• POLAR BEAR: The melting of its sea-ice habitat causes individual bears to drown, starve, and even resort to cannibalism. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in May 2008 in response to a Center petition to protect the bear from global warming. U.S. government scientists predict that two-thirds of the world’s polar bears will disappear by mid-century.
• ATLANTIC SALMON: Sometimes called the “king of fish,” the Atlantic salmon has already declined by 90 percent. Higher temperatures of rivers are dangerous for these cold-water fish during spawning and for their eggs and young.
• MEXICAN SPOTTED OWL: Dependent on cool, shady forests, the Mexican spotted owl is threatened by rising temperatures and higher risk of forest fires.
• SEA OTTERS: Off the West Coast, increasingly corrosive waters are making it harder for the invertebrates that are the otter’s main prey to form their shells.
Endangered Species
• SEA TURTLES: Rising temperatures could dramatically tilt the gender balance of sea turtles, endangering reproduction because the gender of hatchlings is determined by temperature. In temperatures just two degrees higher than 29 degrees Celsius, almost all hatchlings are females.
• ARCTIC FOX: As temperatures rise, the Arctic fox’s tundra and sea-ice habitat is shrinking, its lemming prey are becoming less abundant, and it faces increased competition and displacement by the red fox, which is moving northward.
• CORALS: In October 2009, the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the federal government to protect 83 coral species under the Endangered Species Act due to global warming. Corals are at high risk of extinction worldwide from global warming and the related threat of ocean acidification.
As U.S. President Barack Obama prepares for international climate negotiations in Copenhagen December 2009, there is hope for the endangered species across the world. Aside from the controversy around global warming, if reducing our carbon emissions to 350 parts per million could potentially save over 350 wildlife species from future extinction, it is well worth a global effort.
To take action and read the Center for Biological Diversity’s interactive report, “350 Reasons we need to get to 350: 350 Species Threatened by Global Warming,” click here.
