The perpetual discoveries of global warming’s effects on our planet negatively increase every day. These long-term temperature shifts cause rapid increases in precipitation in continental climate regions reaching historical peaks. Climate change’s consequences interrupt the recently settled peace of our world. Not only does climate change affect the regular lives of humans, but it also disrupts the routines of millions of species such as polar bears, snow leopards, elephants, and countless more. Climate change is a heavy factor in the threatened loss of ecosystems and habitats, as well as the creatures that populate them.

Polar bears, usually, first come to mind when considering global warming’s effects on animals. With temperatures rising higher than ever, ice caps in the Poles are quickly melting away, drastically decreasing livable habitats for Arctic animals. Polar bears, creatures reliant on icebergs for hunting prey and camouflage, are faced with the risk of endangerment, or even extinction. There are clips of polar bears desperately clinging to a singular block of melting ice in a vast, dark ocean; a harsh but overtaking reality for the future of the Arctic and all the organisms living there. Much across the world of Polar bears, African Elephants also struggle with the rising heat of their habitat. With rivers drying up, causing a lack of water, elephants and many other species living in the savannahs are faced with the imminent threat of dehydration. African Elephants are easily susceptible to various diseases, and the heated temperatures bring more possibility of weakening due to sickness. On the land, global warming’s effects on climate and environment are an impending danger to numerous species.

The changing climate not only affects the ecosystems on land, but also in the ocean. Emitted greenhouse gases capture more energy from sun rays, resulting in the absorbed heat in the seas causing a heating ocean surface and sea levels past their average limit. As aquatic ecosystems—especially ocean ecosystems—require specific and constant water conditions to thrive, these changing factors dramatically impact many organisms and their survivability. Some well-known examples of affected marine species include coral reef bleaching and a tremendous loss of favourable breeding grounds for fishes and aquatic mammals. Coral bleaching is directly associated with ocean temperature changes caused by global warming. Being incredibly sensitive to the climate, corals will undergo shrinking and starvation in the thousands; known as ‘bleaching’ as dying corals become an ivory-white colour. Corals are extremely important in marine environments, and their mass bleaching affects many organisms that rely on corals for shelter and food. Oceans are also approaching threat with the warming temperatures, with countless key organisms becoming endangered.

Climate change leads humans and wild animals into the face of an ultimatum of survivability. From the growing danger of temperature increase to a rise in natural disasters, global warming causes havoc in the world we have built up today. However, it is always possible to try and support the many growing ways of trying to slow down the effects that global warming has on our community and others. The publication of multiple climate studies that have proven the climate crisis is happening has led to many more people being engaged in environmental organizations. Though more information has become available about how we can individually and cooperatively negate the effects of climate change, more large-scale measures need to be taken to preserve Earth’s precious ecosystems.

Citations

Environmental Protection Agency. “Climate Change Indicators: Oceans.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency,

www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/oceans#:~:text=As%20greenhouse%20gases%20 trap%20more,climate%20patterns%20around%20the%20world.

IUCN. “Ocean Warming.” IUCN, IUCN, 5 Dec. 2018,

www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/ocean-warming#:~:text=The%20ocean%20a bsorbs%20most%20of,for%20marine%20fishes%20and%20mammals.

IUCN. “Species and Climate Change.” IUCN, IUCN, 22 Oct. 2021,

www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/species-and-climate-change.

World Wildlife Fund. “African Elephants and Climate Change.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund,

www.worldwildlife.org/pages/african-elephants-and-climate-change–3.

World Wildlife Fund. “Animals Affected by Climate Change.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund,

www.worldwildlife.org/magazine/issues/fall-2015/articles/animals-affected-by-clima te-change.

World Wildlife Fund. “Effects of Climate Change.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, www.worldwildlife.org/threats/effects-of-climate-change#:~:text=Humans%20and% 20wild%20animals%20face,on%20people’s%20livelihoods%20and%20communiti es.

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