Global Warming: Humans Are Destroying the Planet

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Everyone knows that global warming is a serious environmental health problem with its effects reflecting on nature and all of mankind on Earth since the mid-twentieth century – emission of concentrated greenhouse gases, rise of sea levels, melting of polar ice caps, and increase in global surface air temperature. The rise in global surface air temperature causes frequent droughts in dry areas and accelerated ocean warming and hence the rapid increase in sea levels and melting of the polar ice caps. Natural disasters from the unpredictable weather patterns were also observed over the past few years. With these effects in mind, we know that the biodiversity of wildlife is greatly affected. But how exactly does global warming present a threat to the loss of wildlife species? Its effect is much greater than what people are aware of. Science surrounds us and is part of our daily lives. We may be oblivious to our surroundings but what we do and what we eat has a great impact on the environment. Our choice of food, fashion and lifestyle affects the natural environment. Humans indiscriminately kill animals for raw materials such as fur and tusk for ivory; deforest for land; slash and burn for agriculture; mass production of goods resulting in release of chemical waste and harmful pollutants that is detrimental to the air quality as well as the health of the earth’s water bodies. Cold regions such as the north and south poles as well as the mountainous regions of Central Asia are such areas where global warming poses a threat to the species that inhabit the area. The arctic marine ecosystem is a very specific ecosystem which is intended and adapted for the sea ice environment and by the characteristic mammals that thrive in the ecosyste... ... middle of paper ... ...ge.” Part 4: The Environmental Era. An Environmental History of Canada. Canada. UBC Press. 2012. 319. Books.google.com. Web. 12 Jan. 2014 United States. Dept. of the Interior. USGS. “Predicting the Future Distribution of Polar Bear Habitat in the Polar Basin from Resource Selection Functions Applied to 21st Century General Circulation Model Projections of Sea Ice.” USGS science for a changing world. Dept. of the Interior, 2007. Web. 15 Jan. 2014 Roach, John. Most Polar Bears Gone By 2050, Studies Say. National Geographic, 2007. Web. 15 Jan. 2014 Lehmann, Julia, Amanda H. Korstjens, and Robin I. M. Dunbar. "Apes In A Changing World – The Effects Of Global Warming On The Behaviour And Distribution Of African Apes J. Lehmann Et Al. Global Warming And Ape Biogeography." Journal Of Biogeography 37.12 (2010): 2217- 2231. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.

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