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For Immediate Release
Wildlife and ecosystems feeling the heat from climate change
New report underscores need for immediate action to safeguard our communities, ecosystems and wildlife from the most severe impacts of climate change
WASHINGTON – Today’s release by the White House of the “Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States” report provides unequivocal scientific data regarding the impacts climate change is projected to have, and is already having, on our communities, ecosystems and wildlife.
Jane Lubchenco, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration concluded today’s White House press briefing by stating: “Climate change is happening now, it’s happening in our own backyards, and it affects the kinds of things people care about."
The science underscores the urgency to act immediately, and that “we need
both measures to reduce heat-trapping emissions, and measures to adapt to that
part of climate change that we cannot avoid,” according to John P. Holdren,
assistant to the president for science and technology and director of the White
House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Below is a statement
by Jean Brennan, Nobel Laureate climate scientist for Defenders of Wildlife:
“The tremendous number of examples and data presented in the report about
projected and existing climate change impacts reinforces what those of us who
have been working on climate change for years have repeatedly warned
about: global climate change threatens the very ecosystems upon which all
of us depend for survival. Hopefully it will serve as a much needed wake-up call
to our leadership and Congress to take action now to address both the causes and
the effects of climate change on our communities, wildlife and natural places -
before it is too late.”
Examples from the report
include:
• Fires, insect pests, disease pathogens, and invasive weed
species have increased, and these trends are likely to continue.
o Over
33 million acres of forest have already been affected, by far the largest such
outbreak in recorded history.
• Deserts and drylands are likely to
become hotter and drier, feeding a self-reinforcing cycle of invasive plants,
fire and erosion.
o The combination of drought and high temperatures has
already led to serious insect infestations and death of piñon pine in the
Southwest.
• The habitats of some mountain species and coldwater fish,
such as salmon and trout, are very likely to contract in response to
warming.
o Studies suggest that up to 40 percent of Northwest salmon
populations might be lost by 2050.
• Sea-level rise, increased coastal
storm intensity, and rising temperatures will contribute to increased
vulnerability of coastal wetland ecosystems.
o Barrier islands and
mangrove forests provide important protections to coastline from extreme coastal
storms and wave surge.
• Arctic sea-ice ecosystems are extremely
vulnerable to warming
o Polar bears and ring seals are rapidly losing
habitat and their food supplies are decreasing.
Fifteen environmental, conservation, science and wilderness groups have also issued a joint statement on the federal climate report.
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Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native
animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 1 million
members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for
innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to
come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org.
