REAL LIFE
26
8
Species
That Face
xtinct
WHEN a little rodent mysteriously disappeared in 2009 scientists
began digging. What would make the mosaic-tailed rat, who lived
on a small island in Australia, just vanish? In 2016 it was declared
the rodent was more than likely than not a casualty of climate
change. They pinned it down to ‘the destructive effects of extreme
water levels resulting from severe meteorological events –
compounded by the impacts from anthropogenic climate change-
driven sea-level rise’. By 2100, an estimated 50 percent of the
entire world’s species could go extinct because of climate change.
The following species will be profoundly impacted:
BUMBLEBEES
BUMBLEBEES help to pollinate crops like currants, strawberries,
tomatoes and broad, field and runner beans, but climate change
is making them feel the heat, and across both North America and
Europe, these fuzzy insects are being killed off by increased heat
in their southern habitats and failing to move north to cooler
climates, unlike other species.
WHALES
CLIMATE CHANGE impacts the areas of the oceans in which whales
live, and, as a result, their migration patterns. A depletion in the
ozone layer and the related rise in UV radiation may also lead to
a fall in the population of krill, a primary food source for these
gentle giants.
POLAR BEARS
THE poster animal of global warming, polar bears could become
extinct due to the dwindling sea ice in their Arctic habitat. Longer,
warmer summers are rendering much of the Arctic Ocean ice free
for extended periods of time, decreasing the bears’ access to their
primary prey – seals.
BIRDS
SEVERAL oceanic bird species are directly threatened by rising
sea levels due to climate change. Flooding destroys their coastal
habitats and nesting areas.
PENGUINS
PENGUINS are declining on the West Antarctic Peninsula, whichis
one of the most rapidly warming areas on Earth. Their survival will
ultimately depend on their ability to adapt and relocate to new
habitats.
SHARKS
SHARKS have difficulty hunting and a higher embryo mortality
rate as ocean temperature and acidity rise worldwide. In the
Pacific Ocean, rising temperatures force sharks northward by
an average of 30 kilometres annually, disrupting ecosystems that
depend on sharks.
CORAL REEFS
IN the last three years alone, 72 percent of the world’s coral
reefs experienced severe heat stress due to temperature
changes, causing starvation from a loss of nutrition.
LEATHERBACK SEA TURTLES
RISING sea levels and extreme weather wash nests away and
decrease nesting habitats. Sand temperature determines the
gender of developing young – warmer eggs turn into females,
cooler into males; due to global warming turtle sex ratios are likely
to become unbalanced, resulting in population decrease.
PRACTISE SOME DIY
RID your home of the chemicals and
petroleum-based ingredients found in most
cleaning products by making your own. The
Internet is loaded with greener cleaning
recipes. Our favourites are:POWDERED WASHING POWDER: Combine
one cup of soap granules, half a cup of baking
soda, half a cup of washing soda and 10 drops
essential oil. One to two tablespoons per load
gives clean washing. To soften fabrics, pour
one cup of white vinegar into the rinse cycle.DISHWASHING LIQUID: One cup of borax,
one cup of washing soda (or baking soda), half
a cup citric acid and half a cup of kosher salt as
a scrubbing agent. Use vinegar as your rinsing
agent.INSECT REPELLENT: Add one cup distilled
water, half a cup of witch hazel and half a cup
of citronella oil to a spray bottle.MOUTHWASH: One cup of Aloe vera juice,
one cup of water, one teaspoon of witch hazel,
one teaspoon of baking soda and three drops
of peppermint essential oil.DITCH THE IRON: Pour^1 ∕ 4 cup of vinegar,^1 ∕ 4 cup
of water and three tablespoons of liquid fabric
softener into a spray bottle. Spray and smooth
outwrinklesfrom clothes.D
i
dYou Kn
o
w
ALUMINIUM CANS?
(the type that contain your
favourite fizzy drink or beer)
are 100 percent recyclable
and can be returned to the
shelf as a new can in as
little as two months after
being thrown in the
recycling bin.CLIMATE CHANGE is
real. It is happening
right now, it is the
most urgent threat
facing our entire
species and we need
to work collectively
together and stop
procrastinating.
- Leonardo DiCaprio, actor and
environmentalist