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As the situation is presently, one in six species on the planet face extinction in the not so distant future as a consequence of climate change. These are the conclusions of a study conducted at the University of Connecticut that was published in May 1st edition of the journal Science.
The author of the study, ecologist and evolutionary biologist Mark Urban based his findings on a meta-analysis of 131 previous studies done on the subject of climate change. This conveys a multidisciplinary, multi-local approach on the matter because these studies have used different methods to perform their researches and they offer results from all around the world.
Taking this into consideration, Mark Urban used advanced statistics and managed to explain the global effects of climate change, but also how the different continents are going to be differently impacted by global warming. While North America and the European continent stand to lose 5, respectively 6 percent of their species in the future, if climate change is not slowed down, things are far graver in South America, that stands to lose 23 percent of its species.
Naturally, the hotter it gets, the more animals are going to disappear from the face of the Earth. At the moment, the global risk of extinction stands at 2.8 percent. This means that right now, 2.8 percent of the species existent on the planet face extinction. But when predicted climate change kicks in, the amount will become much higher.
The global goal is to keep global warming at 2 degrees Celsius. Despite the fact that there are very few chances of keeping the bar this low, as many scientists view this number as utopian, even at this rate, the global extinction risk would rise to a booming 5.2 percent.
A more realistic number for climate change is an overall increase of 3 degrees Celsius. Unfortunately, this would make the risk of extinction rise extensively, reaching 8.5 percent.
But if action is not taken globally against climate change, if things continue as they are now, that means very bad news for Earth. Mark Urban predicts that up to 16 percent of the species on the planet will disappear. This means one in six species will be gone if we do not change out ways.
While there is still quite some time to go before the human race is faced with extinction, if the planet loses 5, 8 or 16 percent of its species, humans are bound to feel that for themselves, and quite brutally. We live on a planet where everything is intertwined, all things work together to create overall life through synergy. Us humans need other species, and as many as we can get, in order to have the life that we currently do in the future.
Entire ecosystems stand to be wiped out if we do not take a stand on climate change. This is why need to change the face of industry and conduct further extensive research so that we may change our ways, in order to keep our planet.
Work is yet to be done before December 2015, when more than 190 countries will unite in search of solutions at a grand meeting in Paris, that is expected to generate global solutions to combat climate change. Country officials, together with scientists will combine their wisdom to try to keep this matter at hand.
When one in six species on the planet face extinction if we do not take action, it is truly the end of the world as we know it. However, it is not too late to make a change. The planet is something each and every one of us must fight for. The future is worth our trouble.
Image Source: americantraditions.org
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