Wildlife and climate change

The USA has some of the most charismatic wildlife on Earth, but species such as the walrus and black bear, along with less heralded but just as important creatures, are at risk from a changing climate.

The loss of sea ice has forced walruses off Alaska to haul out in numbers as high as 35,000. This can be deadly for calves, which can get crushed in the melee. Meanwhile, warmer weather may lead to an increase in numbers of the sap-sucking hemlock woolly adelgid, an invasive insect that threatens the Eastern Hemlock Forests, which sprawl for 19 million acres along the eastern coast of the USA and provide habitat for numerous species, including black bears, porcupines and woodpeckers.

In addition, the National Wildlife Federation warns that higher temperatures will lead to drier conditions and the loss of wetlands in areas such as the Midwest’s Prairie Pothole, one of the most important breeding areas for North American waterfowl. Streams in Appalachia could become too warm for trout, while moose populations could be hit hard by parasites thriving in generally warmer, wetter weather and milder winters.

Mangrove forests are found along the coasts of Florida, covering some 469,000 acres, but are at risk of increased wave heights. This poses threats to species such as the great white heron and brown pelican that roost in the trees, as well as the endangered Key deer, a subspecies of white-tailed deer.