http://www.foe.co.uk/ Friends of the Earth EWNI: Green one minute film: Polar Bears
Biodiversity refers to how many species there are in a given area. It's important that we have high levels of biodiversity because creatures and plants interact in complex ways. A break in the chain might mean the loss of many species.
A great deal of our food and medicine relies on having a thriving biodiversity. We won't know exactly how much harm is done by mass extinctions and loss of biodiversity until it is too late.
Climate change is already having major effects on many animal and plant species and is the gravest threat to biodiversity.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that two degrees of global warming compared to pre-industrial levels could result in 20—30% of the earth’s species becoming extinct. Some scientists believe that three degrees of warming would cause the largest region of biodiversity in the world — the Amazon rainforest — to begin to collapse.
In Australia, climate change is already causing:
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rising sea levels which is introducing salt into previously low salt areas, threatening habitat and breeding areas for local and migratory birds
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a major risk to the ecologies of our rivers such as the Murray Darling Basin due to reduced rainfall
As a result of climate change It seems likely that:
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much of the Great Barrier Reef will die
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increased temperatures and reduced rainfall will cause deforestation, destroying habitats
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coastal habitat for many species of fish will be damaged by increasing numbers and severity of tropical storms in Australia’s north
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Australia’s alpine areas will shrink considerably, threatening species such as the mountain pygmy possum.
Friends of the Earth cannot sit by and watch as our natural environment is transformed as a result of destructive human behaviour. You can support Friends of the Earth by volunteering your time and skills for the protection of our planet.
