Climate change threat to humans

ONE in six species is at risk of extinction because of global climate change, according to a report released by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

And although humans are the cause of climate change, they will also be its victims.

In the run-up to the UN climate talks that begin in Paris on November 30, WWF said the Earth was experiencing a significant and rapid decline in plant and animal species.

Of the more than 10 000 populations of fish, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians that were monitored, most had declined substantially between 1970 and 2010. While this decline was the result of a range of human activities, global climate change was making it worse.

The most recent intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said: “In concrete terms, because this is happening so quickly, many plants and animals do not have time to adapt. The situation is made worse because many species that are already threatened live in regions that are profoundly affected by climatic disturbances.”

Understanding

While some might question why they should be concerned about animals such as tigers, polar bears, elephants or rhino becoming extinct, WWF said this highlighted a lack of understanding of the role played by biodiversity in supporting life. “Behind the disappearance of these iconic species lie drastic changes to their environments.”

The charismatic species threatened with extinction also include the giant panda, Sumatra orang-utan, the blue whale, the green turtle and the African elephant.

Elephants are already threatened by poaching for ivory, by increasing conflict between people wanting to expand agricultural land, and by the loss of habitat through farming, dams, roads, mines and other infrastructure.

Climate change will make this worse. The panel report found that arid and semi-arid land in Africa would increase by between 5% and 8% by 2080, and the frequency and intensity of droughts would increase. This would mean changes in vegetation and water flow and competition between humans and wildlife for resources.