{"id":9453,"date":"2019-09-11T14:19:27","date_gmt":"2019-09-11T13:19:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ie.myenergi.com\/?p=9453"},"modified":"2019-09-11T14:19:27","modified_gmt":"2019-09-11T13:19:27","slug":"climate-changes-effect-on-wildlife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myenergi.com\/ie\/news\/climate-changes-effect-on-wildlife\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate Change: The Impact on Wildlife"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sea levels are rising, ice caps are melting, and forests are being torn down at an alarming rate. Our wonderful world and its beautiful wildlife is being betrayed by the human race, but there is still time to save our planet and all of its beauty.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Climate change is real, and it is having a truly damaging effect on the earth, particularly animals across the globe.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While global warming poses a huge, growing threat to the homes, habitats and the health of our wildlife (including ourselves!), the knowledge of climate change and its effects are perhaps not as common knowledge as they ought to be.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With this in mind, we have put together a guide on how global warming, pollution and climate change is currently affecting our wildlife.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>1) The seas are rising<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The world\u2019s seas are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.com\/environment\/global-warming\/sea-level-rise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">absorbing over 90% of the greenhouse gases<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> we are pouring into the atmosphere. These harmful gases are heating the seas, and when water gets hot, it expands. Half of the rise over the last 25 years can actually be attributed to the heatrise caused by climate change.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The alarmingly rapid melting of the ice caps, high-intensity winds and the aforementioned ocean warming is causing tides to rise and oceans to expand at a rapid rate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Average sea levels have swelled over 8 inches since 1880, and every year the oceans rise 0.13 inches. A recent discovery actually found that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.carbonbrief.org\/global-sea-level-rise-began-accelerating-30-years-earlier-than-previously-thought\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">global sea level rise began accelerating as early as in the 1960s<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, 30 years prior to previous assessments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As well as mass flooding, rising sea levels can also cause hurricanes, typhoons, erosion and powerful storm surges.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Species affected: Experts state that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecowatch.com\/rising-sea-levels-threaten-233-endangered-species-1881837633.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">rising sea levels threaten 233 endangered species<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Some of the animals most at threat are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Plankton: Plankton are the basis of many oceanic food chains, with jellyfish, whales, seals and many other creatures feeding on the tiny organisms. However, many species of plankton are migrating towards the poles in response to climate change. This is just one of many ecosystems at major risk.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Oceanic bird species: There are many coastal birds at risk due to the rising sea levels. Why? Because the larger, more wide-spread tides are submerging their habitats and nests.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Key deer: Rising sea levels are causing extreme weather in Florida such as Hurricanes Sandy and Irma. Homes and habitats have been seriously damaged by these hurricanes, no more so than that of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.org\/en-us\/about-us\/where-we-work\/united-states\/florida\/stories-in-florida\/the-11-billion-question-can-the-florida-keys-adapt-to-sea-level-rise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Key deer<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>2) The ice caps are melting<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Temperatures in the Arctic are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldwildlife.org\/places\/arctic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">warming at twice the rate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of the rest of the world as a result of the release of greenhouse gases. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.arctic.noaa.gov\/Report-Card\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">95% of the thickest ice in the Arctic<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> has actually already melted thanks to excessive carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A recent study has predicted that the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/environment\/greenland-ice-sheet-melting-sea-level-rise-climate-change-coast-cities-a9038746.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">decaying of the Greenland ice sheets<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u201cthreatens coastal cities around the world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Glaciers are important for animal habitats, but also for the planet as a whole, with bright white ice spots reflecting excess heat in order to keep Earth cool.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To put the alarming rate of the melting ice caps in perspective: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.com\/environment\/global-warming\/big-thaw\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Montana\u2019s Glacier National Park<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> was once home to 150 glaciers in 1910. It now has fewer than 30.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Species affected: Many animals rely on ice for hunting, as well as to live on. With so much of the ice across the planet melting, there is less and less room for species to survive.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Polar bears: Their homes are melting, as is the space for them to hunt their prey, such as seals.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Certain species of penguin: Again, their homes are being pulled from underneath their feet by the rising temperatures. With an increasing amount of ice melting, it is also heavily reducing the population of their main food sources such as krill.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Seals: Many seal species give birth on land; ice to be specific. With much of the planet\u2019s ice significantly weakened or melted entirely, less pups are being born, and a large amount of those that are unfortunately drown.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>3) Temperatures are rapidly increasing<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The rise in temperature caused by climate change is causing detrimental changes to our ice caps and seas, but the increasingly hot temperatures are also damaging the environment and air our wildlife depends upon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scientists predict more droughts and heatwaves in the near future, while the temperature increases are massively unpredictable and far from smooth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Human activity is the main cause of climate change, with our levels of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide causing trapped heat to change our climate in many ways.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Most common causes of these harmful gases come in the form of fossil fuels in cars, factories and power plants.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Species affected:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Green turtles: These species are very sensitive to temperature. The temperature of the sand in which their eggs are laid actually influences the gender of each green turtle. With temperatures rising, much more females are being born than males.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Elephants: Another species that is sensitive to temperature. Climate change is causing their homes to get extremely warm. Elephants already need a lot of water to survive, and yet temperatures are rising and water sources are becoming increasingly hard to come by.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bumblebees: Rising temperatures are causing many bumblebees to migrate north to avoid the unbearable heat, which is also causing flowers to pollinate much earlier than ever before, meaning bees have less time to pollinate.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9459\" src=\"https:\/\/myenergi.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/cow-fire.jpg\" alt=\"Wildlife\" width=\"555\" height=\"416\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myenergi.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/cow-fire.jpg 1900w, https:\/\/www.myenergi.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/cow-fire-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myenergi.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/cow-fire-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.myenergi.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/cow-fire-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.myenergi.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/cow-fire-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.myenergi.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/cow-fire-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.myenergi.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/cow-fire-250x188.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 555px) 100vw, 555px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>4) Food resources and habitats are being destroyed<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Animals are running out of food and their homes are being destroyed thanks to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/myenergi.com\/ie\/blog\/2019\/06\/06\/8459\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">climate change<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/myenergi.com\/ie\/2019\/08\/23\/the-effects-of-littering-on-wildlife\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">littering<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and deforestation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Trees trap the harmful greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide etc) and prevent them from spreading around our planet. When trees are torn down for agriculture, those gases are being released into the atmosphere.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforest-alliance.org\/articles\/relationship-between-deforestation-climate-change\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rainforest Alliance<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> claim that deforestation actually accounts for 10% of worldwide emissions, while agriculture\/farming is responsible for roughly 13% of total emissions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/myenergi.com\/ie\/2019\/07\/09\/common-misconceptions-on-climate-change\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Climate change<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is also causing a huge reduction in plants, particularly in tropical areas. This means that animals have less and less food and resources to build their homes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Species affected:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Panda: Bamboo is in majorly short supply in some areas, causing the already-endangered pandas to starve.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Great apes: Between 2001 and 2015, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelondoneconomic.com\/news\/great-apes-facing-extinction-as-deforestation-and-mining-destroys-their-natural-habitat\/17\/06\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">160 million hectares of forest<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> were lost in the tropics due to human activities. This activity has led to 60% of primate species now being under threat of extinction, with pollution, habitat degradation, loss of biodiversity, food insecurity and emerging diseases all major, growing issues.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tigers: Many species of tiger are in major danger of becoming extinct as a result of poachers and deforestation. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldwildlife.org\/species\/sumatran-tiger\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sumatran tigers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> are the most at threat currently, with less than 400 existing today.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>What can we do to stop this?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The IPCC report that as little as a 1.5 degree-celsius average rise would put <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wwf.org.uk\/effectsofclimatechange\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">20-30% of our planet\u2019s species<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> at serious risk of extinction. This has to stop. We have to do more, and continue to do more.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Whether it\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/myenergi.com\/ie\/2019\/01\/09\/greenjanuary-5-simple-ways-to-immediately-reduce-your-carbon-footprint\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">reducing your carbon footprint<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, switching to green energy, or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/myenergi.com\/ie\/2019\/02\/08\/reducing-plastic-use-4-small-changes-with-huge-consequences\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">avoiding single-use plastics<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, we all need to pull together and be the solution to the problem that we, as a race, have created.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It is our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/myenergi.com\/ie\/our-story\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">mission at myenergi<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to create a kinder, more sustainable future for our planet, but that does not stop with our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/myenergi.com\/ie\/products\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">green energy products<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">From <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/myenergi.com\/ie\/2019\/06\/24\/sparki-and-the-journey-to-earth-our-brand-new-kids-book\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">creating educational children\u2019s books<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to partnering and combining with other green enthusiasts, we will never stop our mission, but we need your help!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sea levels are rising, ice caps are melting, and forests are being torn down at an alarming rate. Our wonderful world and its beautiful wildlife is being betrayed by the human race, but there is still time to save our planet and all of its beauty. Climate change is real, and it is having a&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9461,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-renewable-energy"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myenergi.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myenergi.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myenergi.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myenergi.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myenergi.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9453"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myenergi.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9453\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myenergi.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myenergi.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myenergi.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myenergi.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}