How global warming will cause extinction of a million species

[G_j]

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_medical/story.jsp?story=479080

Revealed: how global warming will cause extinction of a million species

By Steve Connor, Science Editor
08 January 2004

A quarter of known land animals and plants, more than a million species, will eventually die out because of the global warming that will take place over the next 50 years, the most important study of its kind has concluded.

International scientists from eight countries have warned that, based even on the most conservative estimates, rising temperatures will trigger a global mass extinction of unprecedented proportions.

They said global warming will set in train a far bigger threat to terrestrial species than previously realised, at least on a par with the already well-documented destruction of natural habitats around the world.

It is the first time such a powerful assessment has been made and its conclusions will shock even those environmentalists accustomed to "worst-case" scenarios.
...more...

[mojo2004]

1. Shrub is horrible....

but we need to do much more than what is on the table. Just signing Kyoto will do virtually nothing to help. We need someone to do something now, to make bold initiatives to stop this holocaust. If we don't start making real cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, like 50% or more, we are in real trouble, and I don't see anyone proposing this. Kyoto is too watered down and so full of loopholes.

[Superfly]

2. So what?

There have been many extinctions in the history of the planet. The Permo-triassic extinction wiped out over 90% of all species. The K-T extinction wiped out the dinosaurs and others. The earth will heal herself.

[Nevernose]

4. I'm tempted to agree with you, at least in principle

The difference in the dino-killer and global warming, however, is that one was caused by an act of God, the other will be caused by our own irresponsible behavior.

[Superfly]

6. No....

this one is being caused by a species that evolved over time, through natural processes, to devlop into a being that can alter its own environment.

[IrateCitizen]

10. So then, I guess the choice before us is...

... either to continue doing what we're doing and cause our own extinction (along with a sizable number of species currently inhabiting the earth)...

... OR, to actually put this unique ability to a positive use, and adapt our energies toward actually seeking to sustain the very ecosystems that give us life.

One would prove that we are actually WORSE than the rest of life on the planet -- confirming Kurt Vonnegut's hypothesis in his book Galapagos that the main problem with human beings is just that their brains were too big -- while the other would indicate that we actually might be that "higher life form" we have always so arrogantly referred to ourselves as.

[Superfly]

12. But you said it yourself

below:

"Global warming is not starting something new "

This is nothing new and we are on the path already. The alternatives are: do nothing and continue on the path at an accelerated rate. Do something and postpone the inevitable, possibly, maybe.

[IrateCitizen]

13. Misrepresentation

What I am saying is that the extinction of species across the globe has been happening due to human causes for quite some time. It has rapidly accelerated during the past 100 years with the process of industrialization with little or no care for the environment.

The choice is not so fatalist as you propose. Ecosystems have not YET begun to collapse in a domino fashion. There is still hope that, if we drastically alter our consumption habits, energy uses, land uses, etc. -- we could stop what you so pessimistically refer to as "the inevitable". That is the choice of cautious optimism, rather than the fatalism that you express.

There is nothing that is "inevitable" other than the fact that we will all die as individuals at some point.

[Superfly]

15. The geologic record points to the contrary

Extinctions are not only inevitable, but somewhat predictable.

[IrateCitizen]

17. Extinctions due to external causes, yes

A meteor or comet crashing into the earth is a wholly neutral object. It has no choice of what it does, it does not think about it, it has no self-awareness. It simply acts in accordance to the natural laws of the universe, as does the earth spinning on its axis while it revolves around the sun. If the two happen to come into collision, then so be it.

It's nothing that we can control. It's also happened to this planet about five times already, according to geological and fossil records.

But there is a major difference with the current scenario. The current one is something that we CAN do something about. And if we CAN do something about it, then it stands to reason that we SHOULD.

Like I said before, and I'll say it again -- cautious optimism vs. fatalism. If you want to remain such a fatalist, go right ahead. Just don't expect to convince others to adopt your doomsday view of the world.

[Superfly]

19. And, there we go again with the

putting words in my mouth...

I never said that we shouldn't try to do anything. We should attempt to preserve the human species.

Extinctions have occured more than five times, BTW....

http://hannover.park.org/Canada/Museum/extinction/extincmenu.html

[IrateCitizen]

22. Then stop already with the doom and gloom routine!

I never said that we shouldn't try to do anything.

Well a certain hopelessness and fatalism could certainly be extrapolated from your posts to this point. Maybe it was the "So what, it's happened before" that tended to give that impression. Remember, on a written forum one can only discern another's tone from what he/she has written.

With regards to the graph, most scientists agree that there have been five major extinctions within the earth's history. Being a subjective measurement, it still holds true if you look at anything over the 1500 line as being "major", and anything below that mark as "significant".

[Superfly]

25. I just think that this should be approached from the

viewpoints of established and tested science to preserve the human species as opposed to "saving furry little bunny wabbits".

[Superfly]

27. Take a look at response 16

for how I think we should NOT react.

[IrateCitizen]

28. You can't separate the two

What you so disparagingly refer to as "saving furry little bunny wabbits" is what many others refer to as actively preserving the ecosystems upon which we depend for our very survival.

With the ability of humans to alter and control our enviroment, we have come under the false impression that we are somehow SEPARATE from our environment. We are not. We are still just one part of the intricate web of life.

The more strands we tear in our carelessness, the more we increase the risk that a whole section of the web will come crashing down.

Personally, I think that your point of view is a dangerous one. I think that it is what has gotten us into this mess in the first place -- that human beings can look after themselves separately from the environment upon which they depend for their very survival.

I see it in quite an opposite manner, from almost what could be described as a religious approach. As a part of the web of life, it is paramount that we learn to respect and preserve that web. I could try and explain it, but would undoubtedly do so crudely and ineffectively. Perhaps the best work I've read in this vein is The Sacred Balance by David Suzuki. He also recently did a PBS miniseries of the same name. I urge you to take the time on your own and investigate it further.

[Superfly]

29. I agree, they are not separable

and that is not what I said.

What I was trying to say:
1) Save the human species.
2) Save the species upon which the human species survive.

[IrateCitizen]

32. You're still separating...

You ARE still separating the two, as evidenced by your explanation.

What I was trying to say:
1) Save the human species.
2) Save the species upon which the human species survive.

And what about the species upon which those other species depend upon to survive? And what about the species upon which THEY depend to survive. And so on. Life does not happen in compartments -- it is a complex system in which many parts depend on many other parts, even if those parts are not directly in contact with one another.

Think of it as a house of cards. The cards at the top only rest on a few cards. But if you pull out one too many cards at the bottom, those cards at the top will STILL come crashing down -- even though they did not rest directly on the ones at the bottom.

The environment is the same way -- you either work to protect, preserve, and even respect it, or you don't. There is no "picking and choosing" what is worth protecting and what isn't. You either do it or you don't.

[IrateCitizen]

5. The earth WILL heal itself -- humans won't be there to see it.

I guess if you're perfectly content in helping to bring about ecological disaster -- the kind of disaster which previously had only come about from events like a huge meteor or comet striking the earth's surface -- then go right ahead.

Just don't expect everyone to sit by so idly while others play with matches in a room filled with gunpowder and gasoline cans....

[Superfly]

8. I never said that, now, did I?

I did, however, say that this is nothing new in the grand scheme of things. Meteor or humans, it matters not. The process of extinction only creates new ecological niches for others to fill.

[IrateCitizen]

11. No, you didn't say it

Nor was I implying that you did. I was simply pointing out that it is a fatalist view of things, and that the alternative might be to adopt a more cautiously optimistic one.

[HereSince1628]

7. Wow, faith-based macroevolutionary predictions!

Cool. That one goes into my teaching notes...

[Superfly]

9. Faith based?

You're going to have to explain that one to me.

[HereSince1628]

30. Its your earth will heal herself statement

It certainly expresses faith in something to bring about a future outcome.

It wasn't anything about the Earth Mother Goddess, Gaia thing, although your statement could be destructed as such.

[G_j]

35. check

post 34 for further info.



btw, the "extinctions happen" argument doesn't work well.
We wouldn't tell a drowning person that it's OK because "death happens" instead of saving them.

There really are no repuatable scientists left who will argue against GW.

[IrateCitizen]

3. We're already in the grips of the biggest mass-extinction...

... since the end of the reign of the dinosaurs. It's a not-too-subtle, but little-discussed side effect of that great period of "progress" we refer to as the 20th century.

Global warming is not starting something new -- it's just continuing to accelerate the pace at which it happens. The current trend is already a spike off the chart for the past 50 years. I just wonder how long the planet can actually withstand such a brutal and unrelenting assault.

One thing's for certain, when she lashes back, it's going to be a real bitch.

[Loonman]

14. The environment will be fine - the humans won't

Human's effects on the environment has been going on for millions of years.

[IrateCitizen]

18. Millions?

Last time I checked, humans (as in homo sapiens) have only been around for some 25,000 years or so.

Unless, of course, you're talking of those tribes in central Asia who used to hunt the dinosaurs.... :eyes:

[Loonman]

20. Lucy

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/cavemen/chronology/contentpage1.shtml

Unless you want me to draw you a flow-chart.

[IrateCitizen]

24. Sorry. I equate "human" with "homo sapiens".

Thank you for the specifics to clear it up.

[Superfly]

21. Over one million years

since human ancestors have been able to use tools and fire. Over one million years since human ancestors have been able to change their environment.

[Superfly]

23. Forgot the link

http://www.handprint.com/LS/ANC/evol.html

[ElsewheresDaughter]

16. so unbarably sad on so many levels...God may forgive but mother earth

will not ...Soilent Green anyone? :cry:

[Lestat de Lioncourt]

26. Global warming is happening...but we're speeding it up.

We need to slow it down--exponentially. The first thing that needs to be done, though, is to remove that no-wit assclown out of office.

[jmcgowanjm]

31. One day soon

There has also been a report that all resources
will be used up by 2050.

This ties in w/ this thread.

IMHO I think 911 and the invasion of Central Asia
and Iraq are the 1st manifestations
of this scenario.

I mean the USNavy knew in the 70's that
the arctic ice cap was thinning.

We're in the vortex. In the next 2 decades,
bringing PeakOil/Pop.Growth into the equation,

we're playing musical chairs(chairs number in the Billions).

[IrateCitizen]

33. KICK!

:kick:

[G_j]

34. GLOBAL WARMING

**Global Warming is Here Now, Say U.N. Delegates http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/121403G.shtml
--------------

**Global Warming Kills 150,000 People a Year, Warns UN
http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/121303G.shtml
--------------
**The Four Degrees (7.2 degrees Fahrenheit): How Europe's Hottest Summer Shows Global Warming is Transforming Our
World

By Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor
08 December 2003

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=471135

It was the summer, scientists now realise, when global warming at last made itself unmistakably felt.

We knew that summer 2003 was remarkable: Britain experienced its record high temperature and continental Europe saw forest fires raging out of control, great rivers drying to a trickle and thousands of heat-related deaths. But just how remarkable is only now becoming clear.
...more...
-
Also, check out the web site links at the bottom of the article for National Climate Data Center graphs comparing last summer's temperatures in Europe to other summers, and last years global average temperatures to global average temperatures of other years (beginning with the year 1880).
----------------
**Earth Warming at Faster Pace, Say Top Science Group's Leaders

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1218-01.htm
----------------
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/1204-04.htm
**Climate Change Laid to Humans
Report Warns There's 'No Doubt' Industry is Primary Cause

by David Perlman

New evidence found by teams of climate researchers leaves no doubt that industrial emissions of greenhouse gases are responsible for increasing global temperatures -- an ominous trend that has speeded up in the past 50 years and threatens to continue for centuries, according to a report by two of the nation's leading atmospheric scientists.
...more...
--------------------
**Melting Ice 'Will Swamp Capitals'
http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/120903H.shtml

By Geoffrey Lean
Independent UK
Sunday 07 December 2003

Measures to fight global warming will have to be at least four times stronger than the Kyoto Protocol if they are to avoid the melting of the polar ice caps, inundating central London and many of the world's biggest cities, concludes a new official report.

The report, by a German government body, says that even if it is fully implemented, the protocol will only have a "marginal attenuating effect" on the climate change. But last week even this was thrown into doubt amid contradictory signals from the Russian government as to whether it will allow the treaty to come into effect.
...more...
------------------
www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/12/15/1071336885565.html

**Inuit begin rights case over global warming
By Paul Brown
Milan
December 16, 2003

The Inuit of Canada and Alaska are launching a human rights case against the Bush Administration, arguing they face extinction because of global warming.

By repudiating the Kyoto Protocol and refusing to cut carbon dioxide emissions, which constitute 25 per cent of the world's total, Washington is violating their human rights, the Inuit claim.

They are inviting the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, based in Washington, to visit the Arctic Circle to witness the devastation caused by global warming.
...more...
--------------------
http://www.news-leader.com/today/1203-Globalwarm-232039.html
**Global warming imperils ski slopes
Resorts need to move uphill as snow line continues retreat.
By Andrew Dampf
Associated Press

Turin, Italy — Global warming is threatening the world's ski resorts, with melting at lower altitudes forcing the sport to move higher and higher up mountains, according to a United Nations study released Tuesday.
...more...

[G_j]

36. Climate Change Portal

Below are a sampling of articles to be found at,
http://www.climateark.org/news/

ITEM #1
Title: Climate Change Forecast to Extinguish One Million Species

Source: Copyright 2004, Environment News Service
Date: January 8, 2004

WASHINGTON, DC, January 8, 2004 (ENS) - Climate change could drive more than a quarter of all land animals and plants into extinction, a new study published today has determined. The Earth's warming climate could extinguish the existence of more than one million species, the researchers estimate.
..more..
------------------
ITEM #2
Title: Broad study on climate envisions extinctions
  Global warming may kill 37% of wildlife in hotspots

Source: Copyright 2004, Baltimore Sun
Date: January 8, 2004
Byline: Dennis O'Brien, Sun Staff

A team of international scientists says global warming could drive to extinction more than a third of the wildlife in the world's most ecologically sensitive areas by 2050 - and have similar, if less devastating effects on plants and animals worldwide.
..more..
--------------