Many are of the opinion that the risks to endangered plants and wildlife are the most severe consequences of our worsening environment while others would argue that other problems are more pressing. While I consider the impact of recurring natural disasters to be important, in my opinion the loss of wildlife is the most serious threat to the environment.
The rise in recent catastrophic natural disasters has been strongly linked to climate change. Many scientists have made the case that incremental rises in temperature, specifically involving the oceans, has increased the frequency and potency of hurricanes, tsunamis, and blizzards. There are countless instances of these from the last two decades, but the tsunami affecting mainly Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand in 2004 is a particularly striking example. This was the largest natural disaster this century and resulted in thousands of deaths, injuries and billions of dollars in damages, the effects of which set these developing nations back economically for years. People lost their lives, homes, and livelihood in many cases.
The main reason that many people including myself are so focused on plant and animal life is because of the rising number of endangered animals in recent decades. One of the most well-known examples of this is the often cited case of polar bears. Polar bears live mainly in the Arctic and recent melting of the polar ice caps has resulted in reduced ice for polar bears to hunt on. Polar bears have become an endangered species and it is often forecast that by 2100 they will be entirely extinct in the wild. Their extinction will likely have a domino effect on the fragile ecosystems of the arctic and other endangered animals like seals and narwhals. This is just one example of the impact of global warming on animals and plants of our planet. Extinction is irreversible and there is no more lasting impression we can leave them to deplete the world entirely of a species.
In my opinion, the loss of ecological diversity trumps any other environmental concerns. In order to remedy this problem governments and individuals need to take serious steps to not only invest more in conservation efforts for endangered animals, but also work towards long term reforms related to fossil fuels, carbon emissions and the other apparent catalysts for climate change.
Many
are of the opinion that the
risks
to
endangered
plants and wildlife are the most severe consequences of our worsening environment while others would argue that
other
problems are more pressing. While I consider the impact of recurring natural disasters to be
important
, in my opinion the loss of wildlife is the most serious threat to the environment.
The rise in recent catastrophic natural disasters has been
strongly
linked to climate
change
.
Many
scientists have made the case that incremental rises in temperature,
specifically
involving the oceans, has increased the frequency and potency of hurricanes, tsunamis, and blizzards. There are countless instances of these from the last two decades,
but
the tsunami affecting
mainly
Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand in 2004 is a
particularly
striking example. This was the largest natural disaster this century and resulted in thousands of deaths, injuries and billions of dollars in damages, the effects of which set these developing nations back
economically
for years.
People
lost their
lives
, homes, and livelihood in
many
cases.
The main reason that
many
people
including myself are
so
focused on plant and
animal
life is
because
of the rising number of
endangered
animals
in recent decades. One of the most well-known examples of this is the
often
cited case of
polar
bears
.
Polar
bears
live
mainly
in the Arctic and recent melting of the
polar
ice caps has resulted in
reduced
ice for
polar
bears
to hunt on.
Polar
bears
have become an
endangered
species and it is
often
forecast that by 2100 they will be
entirely
extinct in the wild. Their extinction will likely have a domino effect on the fragile ecosystems of the arctic and
other
endangered
animals
like seals and narwhals. This is
just
one example of the impact of global warming on
animals
and plants of our planet. Extinction is irreversible and there is no more lasting impression we can
leave
them to deplete the world
entirely
of a species.
In my opinion, the loss of ecological diversity trumps any
other
environmental concerns. In order to remedy this problem
governments
and individuals need to take serious steps to not
only
invest more in conservation efforts for
endangered
animals
,
but
also
work towards long term reforms related to fossil fuels, carbon emissions and the
other
apparent catalysts for climate
change
.