Global warming 'increasing' extinction rates
Wednesday, 15 Nov 2006 15:46
Global warming is affecting species in cold environments, scientists say
Science In Focus
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Global warming will cause growing numbers of animal and plant species to become extinct over the next 50 to 100 years, with climate change already having had such an impact in the most sensitive habitats, a new study has warned.
The comprehensive review of more than 800 scientific studies on the effect that global warming has had on various wildlife forms has concluded that some species are not evolving rapidly enough to subsequent changes in their environment to prevent their extinction.
Conducted by a University of Texas biologist, the study warns that scientists are seeing "stronger responses" amongst species which are adapted to live in cold habitats such as Antarctica and the Arctic , with the review bearing out the conclusions of previous studies which have predicted that such species are likely to be the most affected by global warming.
Dr Camille Parmesan, who carried out the review, said: "Some species that are adapted to a wide array of environments - globally common, or what we call weedy or urban species – will be most likely to persist."
"Rare species that live in fragile or extreme habitats are already being affected, and we expect that to continue," she stressed.
Dr Parmesan, whose research will be published in the December issue of the Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, adds that while some species are adapting in response to climate change, many are not doing so in ways which could prevent their extinction.
"To really come up with something new that's going to allow a species to live in a completely new environment takes a million years," she warned.
"By then, we might not even think of it as the same species," Dr Parmesan added.
Her study found that some species were also making northward shifts into new territories in order to survive, while stressing that scientists remain unable to predict which will be able to response to climate change based upon their organism type.
"Whether it's within fish, trees or butterflies, you're seeing some species responding strongly and some staying fairly stable," concluded Dr Parmesan.
The publication of the report comes as the UK government has announced plans to introduce a new climate change bill to protect the environment.
Responding to the announcement in today's Queen's Speech, pressure group Friends of the Earth, which has been campaigning for such a bill, said that the new legislation must contain annual targets for cutting carbon dioxide emissions.