Global Climate Change and It's Impact on Wildlife

Global Climate Change and Its Impact on Wildlife
Brackton A Quick
Everest University Online

I would like to address a topic that is often an issue, but not spoken of quite so much in today’s society.  The topic of concern that even some individuals do not realize, unless spoken on the news, is about global climate change and how it impacts wildlife.  Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to help you visualize a more in-depth approach and explain.  In order to understand global climate change and its impact on wildlife I will discuss the following: how climate change occurs, the effects on wildlife and their habitats, the basic needs of wildlife, and what is at stake due to these changes.

How does climate change occur?  Whilst not happening overnight, climate change is constantly going through adjustments over a great measure of time.  A few things that can cause climate change are: greenhouse gasses, burning fossil fuels, and clearing out forests.  “Greenhouse” gasses that reside in our atmosphere, in particular, allow the solar light from the sun’s rays to reach the earth, but also trap in the heat which radiates back from the surface.  Burning fossil fuels releases more greenhouse gasses into the air which can add to what is called “the greenhouse effect”.  This act, in turn, increases global warming.  Finally, the issue of deforestation (the process of cutting and burning forests for land or resources) can have an effect on the climate as well.  Wildlife habitats are disturbed or even destroyed during the event.  Realistically, there are several instances where climate change can be brought on by all these things.

It has become apparent that global climate change has affected wildlife and their habitats, specifically, the polar bear, the American pika, and the water fowl.  Global warming is impacting the habitat of polar bears because the sea ice platforms that are moving farther apart are causing swimming conditions to become more dangerous.  (National Wildlife Federation, 2016) This habitat change presents fewer hunting opportunities, and causes food supply to become scarcer.  The American pika is closely related to the “rabbit” species, and has adapted well to the mountain region’s colder climate.  Sadly the American pika is running out of options.  Because these small mammals have adapted to cold alpine conditions, pikas are intolerant of high temperatures and can die from overheating when exposed for just a few hours.  (National Wildlife Federation, 2016)  A large body of research has accumulated on the impact of climate change on wildlife movements and distributions, especially for migratory birds.  (EBSCOhost, 2016)  This reference explains how the water fowl is impacted by global climate change.  The rising of sea levels due to higher temperatures is another challenge that affects the shallow wet-lands in which these birds inhabit.  These are all dramatic changes that are placed on three individual groups of wildlife.  

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