Signs

While we may not have visual signs of a changing climate right here in Delray Beach, signs of a global warming climate are clearly evident if we look at the Earth as a whole.  Here are a few examples:

The Arctic:   The fastest rate of the Earth’s warming is occurring in the Arctic.  Temperatures there have risen over 5 degrees F in the last 30 years.  It is evident from the pictures taken of the Arctic during that time period that ice packs are melting and shrinking right in front of our eyes.  This results in the rising of the Earth’s sea levels which is currently occurring at about one inch per decade. 

Almost 40% of the Arctic has already melted since 1979.  Almost half of that 40% has melted in just the last few years as the speed of melting is increasingly rapid.  Just in two years from 2006-2007, the artic lost nearly a half a million square miles from the 2005 level.  As more ice melts, the speed at which it melts is accelerated (technically called a “positive- feedback loop).  Think of it this way, ice reflects heat while water absorbs heat, so as the ice melts and there is more water, more heat is absorbed (which in turn melts more ice, etc).  Scientists predict that in the very near future, summer ice will be completely melted in the Arctic Ocean. 

As a result, there is actually now a “cold rush” for stores of offshore oil, minerals, fish and trade routes as the Arctic powers, Russia, Canada, Norway, Denmark and the United States compete to seize the bounty of the rapidly emerging ice-free waters.  In February of 2008, the U.S. Interior Department auctioned Chukchi Sea leases to seven oil companies for $2.6 billion which will require as many as 5 drill ships, two icebreakers, a barge, a tug and daily helicopter flights.

Unfortunately, the Chukchi Sea is home to 8% of all Arctic Polar Bears.  The good news is that after three years of heated pressure from environmental groups, the Department of the Interior placed the Polar Bear on the Endangered Species list.  The bad news is that just one month later, they announced that the bears wouldn't actually be covered under the full protection of the Endangered Species Act because they would allow oil companies to annoy and harm small numbers of them.  The Dept. of the Interior charges that it is not the drilling of oil that threaten the bears because they are instead threatened as a direct result of global warming (they are the first animal ever added to the endangered species list because of global warming).   The Department of the Interior further states that oil companies will be carefully instructed to avoid the bears and will be required to map out their dens and train their employees to reduce the risk of harming them.  Environmentalists counter that because Polar Bears are naturally curious and very sensitive to changes in their environment, that their ability to hunt and care for their young will be at risk, further posing threat to the rapidly declining species and not affording them rights of protection granted under the original Endangered Species Act (which is unprecedented since the act was first approved in 1973).  Environmentalists encourage the seeking out of alternative energy sources and technologies rather than destroying more of the ice that is already rapidly melting at potentially catastrophic rates.

In addition, melting permafrost contains extremely high amounts methane as well as some carbon dioxide.  As we mentioned earlier, methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas – it traps heat at 26 times the rate of CO2.  As the melting continues, scientists have proven that vast amounts of methane are quickly bubbling up from the water where they are released into the atmosphere, exponentially magnifying the rate of climate change.

The Oceans:  Our oceans and the animals that thrive in it are threatened by many causes.  The most significant threat is the increasing amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.  Water absorbs this CO2 from the air thereby increasing the water’s acidity.  Many sea creatures cannot tolerate this rising pH level and will not survive if the trend continues.

Another threat to our Earth’s oceans is so much easier to solve – litter that falls from human hands.  A report by the Ocean Conservancy reports that in just one day in September 2007, volunteers (378,000 in all) collected 6 million pounds of trash on the world’s shorelines which also included oceans, lakes and streams.  A third of the items came from smokers.  Many of the other items included netting, fishing lines (both of which result in many deaths of seabirds and sea creatures), food wrappers, bottles, cans, etc.   

Destructive fishing habits are another threat to our Earth’s oceans.  Commercial fishermen have depleted many species by overfishing including King Crabs and Northeastern Atlantic Cod.  Other sea creatures become entangled in commercial fisherman’s nets, including whales, turtles, seabirds, and more.   Another disturbing issue is the practice of using cyanide to collect pet tropical fish, a common practice in Indonesia and the Philippines, which account for much of the tropical salt-water fish imported by the United States, a $1 billion a year industry.

Also, warmer waters threaten marine animals, including corals which “bleach” as corals permanently die from rising water temperature.  According to National Geographic, “More than 20% of the world’s reefs have been damaged beyond repair by climate change, pollution, and destructive fishing habits”.    Perhaps it’s time for us to make a change…

The Land:   Here in South Florida, we know first-hand of the impacts of more intense hurricanes.  Across the globe, many areas are feeling the effects of severe droughts, floods and heat waves.  Is human activity linked to the increase in these weather patterns?  Hundreds of the Earth’s leading scientists who formed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) say absolutely, yes.

Other examples of changes we see on land are that many insects and animals to shift habitat location and breeding schedules.  For example, the mountain pine beetle in the Northwestern U.S. and Canada is thriving thanks to climate that never gets cold enough to keep them in check.  They are now devouring the lodgepole pine trees causing British Columbia to loose 80% of its commercial lumber in the next five years.  In addition, the natural cycles and relationships between insects and plants are under stress because of the disruption of the timing of growing seasons.   In many locations, plants and animals crowd into higher elevations which decrease their populations as they compete for territory.