An Introduction to Ecosystem Sustainability and Climate Change: Anthropogenic activities have been pouring greenhouse gases into the atmosphere which is evident from the increasing trends of changes in global temperature, precipitation, climate induced hazards/disasters, pest distribution, etc. It is alternating the habitable areas of species, their distribution, rate of survival and reproduction, food web interactions, ecosystem services, and their conservation. Ecological managers need to invent smart solutions to control and mitigate further erosion of ecosystems.
The increase in GHGs concentration in the atmosphere leads to change in climate and biological characteristics of the ecosystems. The concentration of CO2 is expected to rise from 368 ppm to 540-970 ppm by 2100, with rise in average global temperature between 1.8 to 4.0°C with spatial variation in temperature and pressure. The variation in the terrestrial ecosystems is likely to occur with a global warming of 2-3 ° C after pre-industrial period and about 20-30 % species are likely to face extinction (IPCC, 2007). The ongoing efforts to cope up with the effects of climate change and promote sustainable development includes equity in the distribution of resources, use of Remote Sensing and GIS in natural resource management, stocks of human and social capital, consolidate decision making process, and fostering green economy.
Definitions:
Ecosystem based adaptation: The use of biological resources and their ecosystem services to adapt to the negative effects of climate change (CBD 2009) and accounting multiple social, economic, and cultural benefits through sustainable protection, conservation, management, and restoration of the ecosystems. The adaptation is facilita...
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..., distribution, and breeding success of the bird population across the globe. About 4 species of hornbill are found in the evergreen forest of Nelliampathy in Western Ghats, out of which three species need contagious forest patches for feeding and breeding. Hey are highly dependent on the selected trees for fruit and nesting sites and therefore are more susceptible to habitat alteration. Changes in the climatic factors affects the time, composition, distribution, and abundance of fruit supply and their foraging pattern. The 4 years study from 2009-2012 suggests that variations in the temperature and rainfall has caused shifts in fruit phenology and hence in the range and distribution of hornbills in the region. This has indirectly, affected the natural seed dispersion and the subsequent regeneration of the part of the Western Ghats due to foraging activities.
Global warming has taken planet earth by storm. Over 1 million animal species have gone extinct, and many more are predicted to follow. In the past century, temperatures have increased 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit due to humans’ high outpouring of greenhouse gases. This change has resulted in rising sea levels, which leads to habitat loss and climate change. This affects not only animals, but human beings, as well. If we don’t start an effort to save this plant, who knows how long it will last. Earth is a Marvelous place that’s a privilege to call home; it’s about time we start treating it that way.
Purpose: The purpose of this lab is to investigate the various components of different ecosystems in a smaller representation and study the conditions required for the ecosystem’s sustainability as well as the connections between
Vulnerability of socio-economic and natural systems to climate change, consequences, and adaptation options and also analyse options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
One of the most compelling and difficult environmental problems society faces today is climate change. People do not realize how much the environment has changed for the worse in the last ten years, until they are told that the last two decades of the 20th century have been the hottest in the last 400 years, according to climate studies (Conserve Energy Future). Today, the carbon dioxide levels have reached 396.81 parts per million (ppm). “Carbon dioxide (CO2) has also increased over the last 100 years-- from about 300 ppm to 370 ppm. Interestingly, the majority of these additions have occurred in the last 50 years, when temperature increases have been the slowest” (geocraft).
The following essays reviews three different scholarly articles on climate change adaptation and mitigation: “Case studies in co-benefits approaches to climate change mitigation and adaptation”, “Co-benefits of integrating climate change adaptation
According to World WildLife Fund, many ecosystems around the world are being destroyed, eliminating many plant and animal species that inhabit them (“Pollution”).
Climate Change and Sustainable Development This research paper is about climate change with the concept of sustainable development, meaning that it will approach the climate change problem in an economical way and try to solve it with the new growth theory. New growth theory argues that innovations, population growth, new technology, and creative destruction are connected to each other and that these connections will solve the climate change problem. The exponential technology growth, improved international private rights and improved use of human capital are some of those key terms that the theory is all about. The most important thing towards the solution is human capital.
The planet Earth has been around for a really long time. Trees covered the grounds and all kinds of animals roamed the land. But this was before humans began to burn fossil fuels, before land was starting to be cleared, and before the climate began to change. The change in climate on planet Earth is called ‘global warming’. Some people do not believe that this phenomenon is really happening. Based on the facts, it really is happening. The surface of the Earth is warming rapidly and humans are a main cause. This paper is about global warming, the causes of it, the changes in climate on Earth, and the potential dangers of it.
Ranganathan, J. et al. (2008). Ecosystem Services a Guide for Decision Makers. World Resources Institute.
Climate change is one of the major issues surfacing earth over the past century. The earth’s temperature has increased over the years leading to detrimental effects on the economic and life sources of people, especially that of agricultural production and livestock. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary (2014), defined climate change as a change in global climate patterns apparent from the mid late 20th century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, (2007) predicts that by 2100 the increase in global average surface temperature may be between 1.8° C and 4.0° C. With increases of 1.5° C to 2.5° C, approximately 20 to 30 percent of plant and animal species are expected to be at risk of extinction. Moreover, the IPCC (2007) purported that climate change has severe consequences for food security in developing countries. There are numerous factors that are solely responsible for this change which are both natural and man-made. Climate change has led to a decrease in quality and quantity of plant produce and livestock because of heat stress, drought and an increase in plant and animal diseases.
Climate change is an inevitable phenomenon that is being experienced globally in various forms such as temperature rise. Sea level rise, droughts, floods, hurricanes, landslides, etc. According to the forth assessment report of the IPCC project even with immediate implementation of mitigation strategies global climate change will continue for decades. Climate change is inflicting serious consequences on human wellbeing and will continue to inflict damages in the future. It is estimated that mean global temperature will rise by 1.8 ºC - 4.0 ºC by end of the 21st century (Izaurraade, 2009). A new global climate model predicts that in the coming decade the surface air temperature is likely to exceed existing records (Smith et al., 2007). Growing season temperatures in the tropics and subtropics by end of the 21st century will exceed the most extreme temperature recorded in the history (Battistic and Rosamond, 2009).
Many climate scientists, researchers, and environmentalists are expressing concerns about shifts in the overall climate of the earth. It is believed that a dramatically dangerous warming is taking place in the overall global climate, a problem that is referred to as "global warming”. Global warming is the observed century-scale rise in the average temperature of Earth’s climate system. This temperature rise is due to the damaging effects of deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels. It is our responsibility to preserve our planet and our way of living but in order to do that we need to act now. If we continue to destroy the planet with no regard as to how serious this matter is there could be several negative effects to us as human being and other living thing on Earth. This is why global warming is truly a global issue and needs to be tackled collectively. We must to act now in order to reduce the dangerous levels of carbon dioxide emissions and we must to work together.
One of the reasons for loss in biodiversity is alteration of habitats. A habitat is the natural environment in which a species of living organism lives. If the habitat of a species is changed, it will cause the species to die or migrate to other places where it can find its natural habitat. There are many ways in which the habitat of plants and animals can be altered. One of them is land use changes. Since the beginning of human life, human beings have been changing land use for farming. Large areas of forests have been cleared by humans to increase the area of farming to satisfy their growing needs. Many biodiversity-rich landscape characteristics have been lost due to intensive farming (Young, Richards, Fischer, Halada, Kull, Kuzniar, Tartes, Uzunov & Watt, 2007). For example, traditional farming was replaced by private farms in Europe after the First World War causing an immense change in land use patterns. Another major proble...
Climate change has serious effects on both living and nonliving things which can destroy their nature, habitat or way of living.
Climate change leads to some potential impacts on human and ecosystem that threatens our daily life. It affects us in various aspects including water, ecosystems, food, coasts and health etc. In the food aspect, some people may suggest that food production and plants can be ris...