Climate change is not only effecting how people live their lives today, but also how animals are living their lives too. In fact, animals may be in more trouble than humans. Climate change is changing the habitats that animals live in, and destroying their homes and their food, therefore many animals are starting to become extinct at a faster rate than before.
To start, one animal in the most danger is the polar bear. They live in the Arctic, therefore living on the ice is hard for them when the temperatures are getting warmer, and the ice is melting. They came on the watch list for endangered species in 2008, and have been an animal to watch ever since. They are also in trouble because their food sources are becoming scarce. They spend over 50% of their life searching for food that mainly consist of seals, and other land animals. Since global warming is melting the ice and other habitats, the animals that polar bears feast off of are dying out. Scientists are predicting that without action against climate change, polar bears would become completely extinct by 2100. There is a lot of work that needs to be down to save the polar bears, and the first thing to start with is combating climate change.
Another animal that is becoming endangered is the green sea turtle. The changing sea levels from the ice melting are effecting where the turtles are laying their eggs, so their population is dropping steadily. Also, the rising temperatures are not helping the incubation of their eggs. Along with that, sea turtle’s food sources are declining too, just like the polar bears. Sea turtles mostly feed off of coral reefs, and with the higher water temperatures, and more waste being thrown into the water, coral reefs are declining. Sea turtles are losing their food source, and the main places where they put their eggs, all from the effects of climate change. When the water temperatures start to get lower, and the ice stops melting, sea turtles will be much better off.
The next animal that is in trouble because of climate change are the African elephants. African elephants rely on the constant rainfalls in Africa, but as the years go on the rainfalls are becoming less constant. One may think that the higher temperatures and less rainfall would kill off all of their food sources, but it is actually affecting the elephants body more than their food source. The elephants are very sensitive to the heat, and can get sunburn very easily. One they start to get sunburn, they need to get water, and with less rainfall, there is not much water available for them. Also, elephants peak birth rate is the same time as peak rainfall, so when they is more rainfall, production rates are much higher. For elephants to stay out of trouble with extinction, rainfall needs to be more constant.
Another animal in the same situation as the elephant is the gorilla. They are also affected by the change in weather and less rainfall. The changing climate is hurting their habitats, so they cannot find places to live. Also, their main problem is decline food sources. In fact, there was a 50% decline in the gorillas most preferred food sources. Scientist are not completely sure that this is due to climate change, but they have reasonable evidence to believe so. One way they are urging people to help gorillas is encouraging people to talk to their local governments about protecting for them.
One animal that is hurt by the climate changing is the monarch butterfly. These certain species have the same mindset as most birds, in that they fly south for the winter. With increasingly high temperatures, the butterflies do not feel that they need to fly down south just yet, until the weather becomes extremely cold in matter of days. When they fail to fly south for the winter, they end up dying from the coldness, and this is why their population has decreased by 95% in the past twenty years. The butterfly effect is real, scientist believe, because they are just one small being that has been taken away by the effects of climate change, and it could be a prediction of what is to happen to other larger species in the future.
This is just a small selection of animals that are suffering from climate change, and there are much more animals out there that are having trouble adapting to the new temperatures, and environments. Many activists are standing up against the government to have more environmental policies put into place, so these animals can live in peace. Some other organizations have taken it upon themselves to do work on their own, for example the World Wildlife Foundation has set up a place where you can “adopt” your own endangered animal, and get a stuffed animal as if you really adopted them.
In the end, these certain animals could become extinct because the effects of climate change are ruining their habitats, taking their food sources away, and making it harder for them to produce offspring. Combatting global warming is the best way to keep these animals from going extinct.