Without a doubt, the main environmental problems that are extinguishing and degrading the planet’s biodiversity are the phenomena of global warming and climate change.
The diversity of animal and plant species cannot adapt to climate changes, forcing them to abandon their habitats or ecosystems due to the increase in temperature, changes in weather patterns such as rainfall, drought, meteorological phenomena and other imbalances in nature.
It is true that there are many other factors that cause the loss of biodiversity, but human activity with its greenhouse gases and environmental pollution caused these two problems that are rapidly extinguishing global biological diversity.
Humans are not the only species in danger due to these global phenomena, due to the increase in temperature, the melting of the Arctic and the Antarctic glaciers many species of animals are affected by such climatic alterations.
Therefore, the main effects that global warming and climate change have generated on biodiversity are:
- Alteration and transformation of the local, regional and national climate, producing an increase in temperature in biological systems.
- Alterations and weather changes in events of various species.
- Alterations in temperature.
- Alterations in the quality of air, water and soil resources.
- Transformation of physiology, morphology and climatic changes.
- Variations and distributions of various species.
- Changes in rainfall, floods and drought.
- Impact on coral reefs due to rising sea levels.
- Alterations and changes in marine aquatic systems.
- Migrations of invasive alien species.
Thus, the main animals affected by global warming and climate change are the following:
- The polar bears.
- Penguins
- Snow Leopard.
- Atlantic cod
- The golden toad.
- The beluga whale
- The clown fish.
- The leatherback turtle
- The salmon.
- The Golden Frog.
- Sea turtles.
- American Pica
- Koalas
If global warming and climate change are not reduced in the next few centuries, the sixth largest mass extinction of species in history will be a reality, where more than 50% of animal and plant species will be extinguished. Also, recent scientific studies predict the extinction of between 18% and 35% of a sample of 1,103 animals and plants by 2050.
More than 2,000 species of plants and animals have moved to the poles at an average rate of 3.8 miles per decade and with a temperature increase of 3.6 ° F, 97% of coral reefs would be exterminated in the world.
Over the past 25 years, some penguin populations have declined 33% in parts of Antarctica and two-thirds of polar bear subpopulations will be extinguished by the middle of the century by the melting of the Arctic polar cap
