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  • Essay / Impact of global warming and climate change on biodiversity

    Table of contentsIntroductionConclusionReferencesIntroductionBiodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth which refers to all living organisms and the ecosystem to which they all belong. I chose this topic as my research topic because I have very little knowledge about it and would like to understand more. Biodiversity is affected by population growth and resource consumption, habitat conversion and urbanization, overexploitation of natural resources and environmental degradation, but especially by climate change and global warming. This essay therefore analyzes how climate change and global warming affect biodiversity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay The impact of global warming and climate change on biodiversity is enormous, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), from 2015 to 2019, the level of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases increased by 20%, which harmed the environment, leading to many adverse effects on the environment as it increases the global temperature. An example of the effects of climate change is the shrinking ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. In 2019, Antarctica lost 16% of its ice sheets by the end of November while Greenland lost 10.9 million square miles, or 80-90% of its ice sheets during the same period. Global warming and climate change will cause ocean temperatures to increase as the ocean absorbs excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions. Increasing ocean temperatures affect marine species and ecosystems, causing coral bleaching and loss of breeding grounds for fish and marine mammals. Food security will be threatened as there will be a decline in fish and marine mammals due to the loss of breeding grounds. The decline in the bee population is mainly due to climate change. Bees unable to adapt would have to constantly move to a suitable location, but some would die if they were unable to find a suitable location. Bees are the most important pollinators of food crops in the world, without them. would not be food for humans and animals because there are no bees to help pollinate food crops. The retreat of glaciers is another effect of global warming and climate change. As glaciers melt, sea levels will rise, causing floods that will affect people living in low-lying areas by destroying their homes and valuables, thereby rendering them homeless. Another effect would be extreme events such as floods, storms, heatwaves and droughts. Heat waves were the deadliest weather risk during the 2015-2019 period, affecting all continents and leading to many new temperature records. Heat waves affect the elderly and workers such as those in the construction sector who have to work under the sun for long hours, leading to heat stroke for some. Finally, forest fires are considered extreme events. Wildfires are usually caused by droughts in most forested regions. Forest fires cause haze that affects people's health because itis toxic, especially to people with respiratory problems like asthma. In September 2019, forest fires in Indonesia caused haze and spread to Malaysia. The haze was at a toxic level, above the API of 200, causing many schools to close for several days. In 2019, Australia experienced a massive wildfire that affected more than 11 million hectares of bushland, forests and parks, and experts estimate that around 1 billion animals were affected by the fires . They affect the lives of species living in forests as their homes are burned and threaten them, which means our food security will also be threatened. Food security is threatened as agricultural lands will be burned by fires, thereby burning all crops. Even after the fire subsides, farmers would have to clear the land again and wait for the soil to heal before replanting, which is a long process. But not all species will affect us, for example the dodo, it has been extinct for decades and humans live well without it. Wildfires will affect humans the most, as they are uncontrollable once started and can burn rows of homes and buildings, leading to people being left homeless and left with nothing as all their properties are burned. Natural resources are resources that exist without any action of humanity. There are two types of natural resources: renewable resources and non-renewable resources. Just like its name, one can be renewed and the other cannot, meaning once finished it will disappear. The overexploitation of natural resources is also one of the greatest threats to biodiversity. An example of overexploitation would be overfishing. Countries like China, Peru, Chile, Japan and Russia are among the biggest contributors to the overfishing problem. Nearly 80% of the world's fisheries are already fully exploited, overexploited, depleted or collapsing, and 90% of stocks of large predatory fish, such as sharks, tuna, marlin and swordfish, are almost extinct. . to overfishing. Overfishing can degrade the ecosystem if not stopped, it will create an imbalance that can erode the food web and lead to the loss of other important marine species. This will decrease food and economic security, fish is one of the most demanded foods because everyone depends on it as a source of protein, if fish ever disappears it will have a big impact on economic security because related jobs The coastal environment will also disappear as it will no longer be needed, leading to high unemployment. Another example of overexploitation of natural resources is the overexploitation of forests. Trees provide us with oxygen, absorb unwanted carbon, and protect us from droughts and extreme weather. They also lower air temperatures and reduce the heat intensity of the greenhouse effect by maintaining low levels of carbon dioxide. Forests cover 31% of the planet's land, but each year we lose 18.7 million acres of forest to logging. One of the main causes of deforestation is the increase in population. Forests are cleared for land, food is needed, so land is needed to grow food, and the demand for firewood increases due to the increase in population. Just as overfishing can degrade the ecosystem, so can overexploitation of forests. Forests are home to 80% of theglobal terrestrial biodiversity. Animals that live in forests will be heavily affected if overexploitation of forests continues. When their homes are destroyed, they will have nowhere to go and nowhere to find food, and they will simply die. This will increase the extinction rate. 13.2 million people around the world have jobs in the forestry sector and 41 million have jobs related to this sector. One day, if the forests were fully exploited, these people would lose their jobs and be unemployed. Brazil's president has weakened environmental laws, reducing efforts to combat illegal mining, logging and ranching. This has had a significant impact on Amazonian natives and animals as the rate of deforestation increases. A possible line of action to help biodiversity would be to preserve it. Global warming and climate change can be stopped by the actions of humans, then they would have to completely change their way of life. Non-renewable energy sources are burned to produce electricity and actually produce carbon dioxide when burned, which causes global warming and climate change. Instead of using non-renewable energy sources to generate electricity, people can use solar energy to generate electricity for their homes because it uses renewable energy which is the sun and the wind. People can also replace their fuel-powered cars with smart cars that run on electricity. Carpooling, public transportation, walking and cycling are also other ways to combat global warming and climate change. Walking and cycling produce no harmful gases into the air, and carpooling and using public transportation produce fewer gases than if someone were driving their own car. Air conditioners produce chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), a type of greenhouse gas, which people can replace with solar-powered fans. Population growth can be controlled by passing a law that a couple can only have a certain number of children. An example would be China's one-child policy. The law was first introduced in 1979 and ended in late 2015. The law was introduced due to overpopulation in China and aimed to alleviate social, economic and environmental problems. China's one-child policy has been very successful as the annual birth rate has declined significantly. Another way to control population growth will be to educate the population about sex education and family planning. Many people do not receive this education because they think they already have enough knowledge, but in reality this is not the case. This education teaches people how contraception has a big impact. One line of action to prevent the overexploitation of natural resources is to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are not renewable because they take millions of years to form. Most energy sources use fossil fuels to generate energy, but people can use other sources to generate energy, such as renewable energy such as wind or solar power. Another solution would be to pass laws to protect trees and forests. This law would prevent people from logging trees and forests and clearing forests. This will not save the habitats of species living in the.