How Climate
Change is Affecting the World's Ecology
The
world’s climate has been changing, and it
will continue to change for the remainder of
the 21st century and beyond. These climate
changes are transforming ecosystems on an
extraordinary scale and pace. The following
is an in-depth look into how climate change
is causing this cascade of impacts upon the
entire ecology of the world.
Warmer Surface and Water Temperature
During the past century, a rapid increase in
world temperatures has been recorded, both
on the Earth’s surface and in oceans. Since
1850, the average surface temperature has
risen about 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit as a
whole. Unfortunately, if emission levels of
greenhouse gases continue at their current
rates, several models show that the globe
will be between 4.3 and 11.5 degrees warmer
by 2100 than in 1990. Shockingly, this
extremely rapid climate change is expected
to be ten times faster than the global
warming after the last ice age. As
you can
imagine, these changes will have a
tremendous impact and place great stress on
the world’s ecosystem.
Rising Sea Levels
Increased water temperatures have already
caused glaciers and land ice to melt, which
adds more volume to the oceans. In addition,
the seawater is beginning to expand in
volume as it gets warmer. As a result, the
global average sea level has risen by 0.12
inches every year since the 1990s. If
greenhouse gas emissions continue to be at
their high rate, models demonstrate that sea
levels could rise two feet or more by the
year 2100.
Changing Water Cycle
Climate changes have a complex impact upon
water supply and demand in the
short term. Since temperatures
are rising, winter precipitation is
beginning to fall increasingly as rain
rather than snow, which affects the seasonal
rhythms of rivers and streams. Warmer spring
temperatures also cause the snow up in the
mountain tops to melt faster and earlier
than usual. Climate change means that some
areas will experience more days with heavy
rain, while other places will experience
frequent, long-lasting droughts. Higher
evaporation rates cause plants, animals, and
people to be thirstier as well, thus
increasing demands for water. Projections
are showing that in most cases the dry areas
of the world will get even drier, and wet
areas will get wetter.
Escalating Risk of Extinction
Among all of the impacts resulting from
climate change, extinction is the most
permanent. Once a species is lost, it can
never be revived. Since most species depend
on the interactions of an array of features
within their ecosystem, changes in the
environment can be catastrophic to their
survival. The number of extinctions
currently from climate change may be small;
but, if the level of warming occurs at the
expected rate, about 20 to 30 percent of
species could be at risk of extinction. In
other words, the world would lose some
300,000 to 600,000 species as a direct
result of climate change.
Overall, climate change is happening on a
global scale and, depending upon which group
of scientists you believe, it may be primarily caused by
human actions. Fortunately, humans are
capable of changing their behaviors in order
to reduce future climate changes and help
wild species adapt. Humans may have the power to
reduce the aforementioned changes, so that
the natural world and ecosystems on which we
depend are saved.
How motorists can help
reduce pollution
Most motorists are trying to save money:
hence the popularity of cheap car insurance
websites such as
prudentplus.com and
moneysupermarket.com. However, the cost
of motoring doesn't just lie in insurance
and running costs. On certain days, you
can feel like you're driving in a fog.
Actually, you are. The fog, however, is not
water droplets in the atmosphere. This fog
is automobile droplets in the atmosphere;
dust and dirt and gasoline emissions that
are clogging our roads and ruining our air.
Each time a car hits the road, carbon
monoxide and hydrocarbons flow out through
the tailpipe into the atmosphere. They make
you cough, they damage your lungs, and they
bring on diseases such as asthma. They also
form acid rain and build up greenhouse
gases.
What can we do about
it? The government can pass clear air bills,
and some of that helps. Yet, most of the
pollution comes from the millions of
automobiles that pack our roads north to
south, east to west and burn billions of
gallons of gasoline. What can we - the
motorists - do to help clean up our air?
One way to clean up the air is simply not to
drive so much, or car pool. That sounds
easy, but it isn't always practical.
Sometimes, lots of times, we just have to
drive. Do you have to drive a car 365 days a
year though? Also, if
we have to drive, let's make it as clean a
drive as possible. If you're about to buy a
car, make sure you buy the most efficient
automobile you can afford. That will le4ads
to fewer emissions. You might consider a
hybrid electric-gasoline model. Make sure
you get regular oil changes and regular
checkups. A cleaner car leads to less
noxious smoke. Get a tight-fitting gas cap;
that leads to lighter emissions. Keep your
tires inflated at the proper pressure.
Improve fuel economy by removing such
wind-resistant items as luggage or boat
racks. Now you have a cleaner car, which
helps toward cleaner air. How about helping
even more by keeping it off the road? Walk
or ride a bicycle for short trips or just
use the phone and don't take the trip at
all. Combine several errands into one. Make
one day a car-stays--in-the-garage special.
Take a bus or train if you can. Before you
begin any lengthy trip, make it as efficient
as possible. Plan ahead.
If everyone followed these simple tips, one
day we'd all be driving in a fog-free world
- except, of course, for the water droplet
kind.
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