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CLIMATE CRISIS IV

WWF Climate Publications

THE IMPACT
ON ECOLOGY,
NATURAL HABITATS
AND WILDLIFE

The Impact on Ecology
Nowhere is immune from the effects of global warming. Glaciers are already
melting in places as far apart as Switzerland and New Zealand, bringing in their wake avalanches, soil erosion, and dramatic changes to river flows.

Snow is
receding from the peaks of great mountain ranges such as the Alps and the Andes, and as melting progresses, the risk of serious flooding increases.

Away from the mountains, the oceans and seas are warming, causing coral to die and putting many marine creatures
at risk. Warm water occupies more space than cold water, so as the oceans gradually heat up, they also expand - threatening to overwhelm many parts of the world, including the Mekong Delta, as many as 300 Pacific islands, and wetlands as far afield as Argentina and Bangladesh, Nigeria and the United States.

Scientists estimate that 70 per cent of the world's sandy shorelines are already
eroding. Higher seas will take their toll, causing failure of food supplies in some places: you cannot grow wheat or root crops on sodden ground. All types of land, from cornfields to mangroves, will need to adjust to the new climatic order.

The Impact on Natural Habitats and Wildlife
We already know that unusual weather conditions can cause many species to decline in numbers. The danger now is that if those conditions were to become permanent or extreme, numerous plants and animals would simply not recover - and their
demise would in turn lead to major shifts in the balance of important ecosystems across the world.

Such extremes include life-threatening
hurricanes, storms, and flooding on the one hand, and severe droughts on the other. To take just one example, natural recovery from hurricane disturbance is often prolonged - some habitats take centuries before they are fully functional again.

 

GLOSSARY

melting: extending, occupying (derritiéndose)
receding: moving away (retirándose, desapareciendo)
at risk
: in danger (en peligro)
heat up: rise their temperature (aumentan su temperatura)
threatening to overwhelm
: with dangerous probabilities of inundation (amenazando inundar)

eroding: being removed (erosionadas, desgastadas)
sodden
: completely wet (empapado)
mangroves
: tropical trees (manglares)
demise
: the time when something ends (desaparición)
hurricanes
: severe tropical cyclones usually with heavy rains and winds (huracanes)

Click here to read CLIMATE CRISIS V

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