NASA scientists announced yesterday that 2018 was the fourth hottest year on Earth, exceeded only by 2017, 2016 and 2015. After 140 years of record-keeping, 18 out of 19 of Earth's warmest years have occurred since 2001.
For humans, this means more destructive hurricanes, floods, forest fires, droughts, and bone-chilling Arctic blasts resulting in thousands of deaths, billions in property destruction and massive interruptions of life as we know it.
But let's stop and think about what extreme weather and changes in climate caused by humans means for species.
By 2100, an estimated 50% of all world's species could go extinct because of climate change. We can't let that happen. At Earth Day Network we're working to Protect Our Species.
Here are 10 animals threatened with extinction because of climate change.
- Bumblebees: Rising temperatures force bees north, disrupting access to the nectar and pollen they need to survive.
- Whales: Migration, feed, and reproduction necessary for survival are disrupted by warming waters.
- Asian Elephants: Habitat is disappearing due to lower rainfall and higher temperatures.
- Giraffes: In addition to illegal poaching, shrinking habitat and disappearing food sources threaten their survival.
- Insects: 18% of insect species will die off due to warming by 2100; if the planet warms 3.2 degrees C, that number rises to 49%.
- Oceanic Birds: Rising waters threaten to submerge their coastal habitats and nests completely.
- Sharks: Difficulty hunting and lower birth rates threaten sharks as ocean temperature and acidity rise worldwide.
- Monarch Butterflies: Monarchs can't survive without milkweed, now being destroyed by hotter dryer land often damaged by pesticides.
- Great Apes: With nearly 75% of forest cover at risk due to climate change, their habitat is disappearing.
- Coral: Sustained heat stress causes coral bleaching, an often deadly occurrence in which coral starves from a loss of nutrition.
Join Earth Day Network's campaign to Protect Our Species, Together we can slow the pace of extinction.
Got ideas? Please share your plans to Protect Our Species.
Thank you for being part of our global movement.
From Earth Day Network. Read more here.
