We like to talk about climate change and how it affects human beings which has made it controversial but the science behind it is true. Not to mention the current and looming problems that come with it. The sad part is not everyone understands that we need to act now. There are debates over whether it’s real or not and discussions on what is the most effective way to reduce our carbon footprint. However, whether we are doing something about it or not, we cannot forget that we are not the only ones who live on Earth, we share this habitat with the wildlife and they are being affected as much as we are if not more. Some of them gradually losing their natural habitats and are literally just fighting for survival.
We are the smartest beings on the planet and I think we owe it to the other living things to lead and take care of our planet while there is still time. After all, we are the most culpable in relation to climate change, the facts are there. Climate change causes extreme droughts, rising sea levels, and hurricanes which dramatically affect our lives. Well, just imagine the animals who cannot do anything about it and are trying to adapt to the changes. At this rate, given the rate at which the Earth is warming up, I do not think that animals can adapt fast enough. For example, polar bears live on the sea ice of the Arctic Ocean but that ice keeps melting and it will reach a point where these polar bears won’t have a place to live. As if that was not disturbing enough, people are now entering these areas not necessarily to help these animals but to explore the newly opened places to dig and look for new sources for oil and gas. Such a shame because it means the effort to raising awareness about climate change is falling on deaf ears. It is disheartening that greed triumphs over common sense. We already proved that the burning of fossil fuels contributes to greenhouse gas production greatly and yet it looks like we have not learned anything. Instead, we are testing more sites to see if we can find oil. I wonder how it would be if the situation was reversed and instead we were the ones being pushed aside and left defenseless as polar bears bully their way through our homes, I wonder how we would feel. I do not think I would be happy at all. The same applies to other species like elephants in Africa, they are responsible for spreading tree seeds that when grown, provide shelter for other species. Unfortunately, because of the droughts caused by climate change, elephants are having harder times finding water which is key to almost any living creature’s survival. It does not take a genius to figure out that there are multiple consequences when an ecosystem is being affected, chain reactions are dangerous. Wildlife is being affected and these problems could lead to an entire species’ extinction. I think the same idea applies to humans if we do not stop being greedy about having the urge to take advantage of everything just because it suits our needs.
Sources:
World Wildlife Fund. (n.d.). Polar Bear. Retrieved April 11, 2019, from https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/polar-bear
Mawdsley, J. R., O’Malley, R., & Ojima, D. S. (2009, June 22). A Review of Climate‐Change Adaptation Strategies for Wildlife Management and Biodiversity Conservation. Retrieved April 11, 2019, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01264.x
