Posted on 12/14/2009 12:32:25 PM PST by myknowledge
Climate change threatens the survival of dozens of animal species from the emperor penguin to koalas, according to a report released Monday at the UN climate summit.
Rising sea levels, ocean acidification and shrinking polar ice are taking a heavy toll on species already struggling to cope with pollution and shrinking habitats, said the study from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), an intergovernmental group.
"Humans are not the only ones whose fate is at stake here in Copenhagen -- some of our favourite species are also taking the fall for our CO2 emissions," said Wendy Foden, an IUCN researcher and co-author of the study.
The report details how climate change undermines the viability of 10 species, including the leatherback turtle, the beluga whale, clownfish, the emperor penguin and salmon.
The koala faces malnutrition and ultimate starvation as the nutritional quality of eucalyptus leaves declines as CO2 levels increase, the report added.
Polar species are especially hard hit.
The ringed seal is being forced further north as sea ice it relies on for rearing its vulnerable pups retreats every decade.
The emperor penguin, remarkably adapted to thrive in harsh Antarctic conditions, faces similar problems. Reduced ice cover makes it harder to mate and raise chicks, and has caused a sharp decline in the availability of krill, a major food source.
As once-frozen tundra gives way to forest, the common red fox has moved northward, where it hunts and competes with its far rarer arctic cousin.
The beluga whale is doubly threatened by global warming: loss of sea ice makes it tough to find prey, and the rush to open new maritime routes is likely to result in deadly ship strikes, as happens elsewhere.
"For a large portion of biodiversity, climate change is an additional and major threat," said Jean-Christophe Vie, deputy head of the IUCN's Species Programme.
In tropical regions, more than 160 species of staghorn corals -- and the tens of millions of people that depend on healthy coral reefs for their livelihood -- are dying off due to ocean acidification, a direct result of warming seas.
For clownfish, brought to the screen by Hollywood in the animated blockbuster "Finding Nemo", the changing ecosystem impairs sense of smell, which they use to find the sea anemones they rely on for protection.
Salmon stocks are dropping off not just from overfishing but because lower oxygen levels resulting from increased water temperatures boost susceptibility to disease and disrupt breeding.
The United Nations climate talks are tasked with forging a durable solution to global warming and helping poor countries cope with its consequences. They are set to end with a summit on Friday with around 120 leaders attending.
Was this from the Onion?
Bull Obama.
Will someone tell me where the rising sea levels are? Cause here in SoCal our coastline looks pretty much the same as it always has.
Not sure how that works (!).
Giant pandas. They eat only bamboo. And they’re almost extinct, too.
I know for a fact that penguins are an endangered species, I have not seen any flying by in flocks at all since I moved to Alaska in 1992.
>> Giant pandas. They eat only bamboo. And they’re almost extinct, too. <<
Giant Pandas are a pretty miserable animal. They re what happens when an animal becomes too specialized.
Red Pandas on the other hand, no such specialization and therefore a lot more common.
Red Pandas, IIRC, are like raccoons; let ‘em get loose in a foreign ecosystem and they'd probably become real nuisances...
With Summer rapidly approaching, the high today at the South Pole was -9f. Not much melting at that temp.
“As they review the bizarre and unpredictable weather pattern of the past several years, a growing number of scientists are beginning to suspect that many seemingly contradictory meteorological fluctuations are actually part of a global climatic upheaval. However widely the weather varies from place to place and time to time, when meteorologists take an average of temperatures around the globe they find that the atmosphere has been growing gradually cooler for the past three decades. The trend shows no indication of reversing. Climatological Cassandras are becoming increasingly apprehensive, for the weather aberrations they are studying may be the harbinger of another ice age.”
- Another Ice Age?, Time Magazine, June 24, 1974
Edmonton, Alberta set a World record low yesterday of -46F. The coldest spot on the Earth anywhere on that date. I think the poles are moving...
>> Yeah. Their digestive system isn’t even all that well adapted to digesting bamboo.
Red Pandas, IIRC, are like raccoons; let ‘em get loose in a foreign ecosystem and they’d probably become real nuisances... <<
Yes but are red pandas good eatin’ ?
Art History Majors, Ramen noodles.
LOL!
You are absolutely right on target!! This argument is a great way to get a lib-lab’s panties in a big old wad.
Every time I ask a polar bear loving greenie that very question, I get a lot of hmmming in response. Then I am told that I, “just don’t understand.”
“That’s right”, I respond, “I just don’t understand how those polar bears were able to commandeer those Viking ships, and sail north to colder climates.”
“Of course”, I add, “those were the lucky ones; the polar bears who weren’t stuck on the ice due to the Cree use of SUVs and private jets.”
Next comes the sneer, and then the parting shot of a four letter word as they walk away! It’s classic!
Just great, now where will I get my Koala steaks from?
As arctic ice melts, South Pole ice grows
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2008/0110/p14s01-sten.html
Of course that PROVES global warming....geeeeeeeez
We’ve got to have climate same?
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