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Goodbye Hot World

When you think of the biggest culprits for pushing plants and animals into extinction, you tend to think of threats such as deforestation, over-development, and over-hunting or fishing.

Now, a study by researchers in Toronto finds a new and equally serious threat to the world’s biodiversity: global warming. The study, a computer model, predicts levels of carbon dioxide will double (from pre-industrial levels) by the end of the century, and that the ensuing change in climate will wreak havoc upon the richness of species in 25 “hotspots” around the world.

For example, melting arctic ice threatens the survival of polar bears, while moisture-loving species would be threatened by increasing droughts. The study found the areas of greatest risk for species devastation were the tropical Andes of South America, the Cape floristic region of South Africa and southwestern Australia.

Global warming is also being held responsible for increasing mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria. As temperatures rise, mosquitoes can survive at higher altitudes and for longer periods of time, making it more difficult to control the disease.

To see a copy of this and other related studies, click here.

For more information on this story, click here.

For information on how to prevent global warming, go to www.fightglobalwarming.com or www.cleartheair.org.

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org