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Global Warming and Extinctions

GLOBAL WARMING IS PUTTING BIODIVERSITY IN THE HOT SEAT. WE’LL USE THE EARTH’S FOSSIL RECORD AND TEMPERATURE HISTORY TO PREDICT THE FUTURE ON THIS ENVIRONMINUTE.

ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THE PAST DOESN’T ALWAYS FORECAST THE FUTURE, ECOLOGIST PETER MAYHEW OF THE U.K.’S UNIVERSITY OF YORK COMPARED PATTERNS IN THE FOSSIL RECORD TO EARTH’S TEMPERATURE HISTORY. HE SAYS THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT GLOBAL WARMING OF JUST A FEW DEGREES FAHRENHEIT WILL HAVE A SEVERE IMPACT ON BIODIVERSITY.

MAYHEW: A CHANGE IN GLOBAL TEMPERATURES OF ABOUT THREE OR FOUR DEGREES IS LIKELY TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE RISK OF EXTINCTION.

MAYHEW NOTES THAT FOUR OUT OF FIVE PAST MASS EXTINCTIONS OCCURRED DURING PEAKS OF WARM, OR SO-CALLED GREENHOUSE PHASES.  SO HE SAYS THE MESSAGE FROM THE FOSSIL RECORD IS THAT WE MUST CURB GLOBAL WARMING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

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Learn more from the UNEP.

Read more about Mayhew’s research from Scientific American.

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