Click on the flower to learn more about climate crisis.
Click on the flower to learn more about climate crisis.
Billions of tons of CO2 are released into the atmosphere every year as a result of coal, oil, and gas production. Human activity is producing greenhouse gas emissions at a record high, with no signs of slowing down. Global warming impacts everyone’s food and water security. Climate change is a direct cause of soil degradation, which limits the amount of carbon the earth is able to contain. Some 500 million people today live in areas affected by erosion, while up to 30 per cent of food is lost or wasted as a result. Meanwhile, climate change limits the availability and quality of water for drinking and agriculture.
The deforestation alerts in the first two months of the year have been a record high – covering an area of 629 km², more than triple the area observed for the same period last year, 206 km². This comes during a time when deforestation is usually lower due to the Amazon’s rainy season.
A rapid increase in population puts undue stress on natural resources, which destroys the ecosystem. In addition, the mortality rate across the globe has declined. More population implies more requirements for clothes, food, and shelter, leading to excessive use of natural resources and destruction of the ecosystem.
An endangered species is an animal or plant that's considered at risk of extinction. A species can be listed as endangered at the state, federal, and international level. Climate change is making the protection of endangered species increasingly challenging. Climate change not only affects our plants and animals directly—through changes in temperature and precipitation for instance—but can worsen the impact on endangered species of traditional threats, such as invasive species, wildfires and diseases.
The growing seasons are shifting. Spring is arriving earlier, winters are shorter, and the number of freezing days is declining. These changes affect the timing of many life cycle events, such as when flowers bloom or when pollinators emerge. Changes in the timing of these events — spring thaw or songbird migration, for example — can have adverse effects on ecosystems, because different species may respond to different environmental cues, resulting in a misalignment between species that may rely on one another.
