Adaptation is the key to survival. The one who adapts to change in the fastest and most appropriate way, and even manages it, always survives. For the business world, this has always been the motto for years.
This adaptation and change management is also critical in the climate crisis issue. As a matter of fact, global warming and the related climate crisis are not the first events on our 4.5 billion-year-old planet. On the contrary, climate change has always been a part of Earth’s history. Our planet has witnessed much higher temperatures or an ice age.
In these different periods, some life forms disappeared completely. Some species gained new features to adapt to the conditions. Completely new life forms also emerged. In other words, every time, the entire living ecosystem has adapted to climate change. It has maintained life, albeit in different forms and planes.
The planet has experienced much hotter or much colder temperatures. It has also endured harsher climatic conditions than today. So, why is there so much clamor for global warming now? The answer is simple: There isn’t enough time to adapt to change this time. Because, for the first time in history, global warming is occurring in a very rapid period of time.
Over the past 2 million years, our planet has seen temperatures increase by 4-7°C every 5,000 years. Today’s climate models predict a temperature rise of 2-4°C by 2100. That’s a rate of global warming at least 20 times faster than the previous one. This is the high-speed heating that happens in a very short time, which is the biggest problem.
If you ask why so fast, the answer is still not far away. The reason is human himself. We have adhered to harsh production practices. Our consumption and life practices continue to this day. They originated with the industrial revolution that started 200 years ago…
For animals, this pace of global warming is very challenging to evolve and adapt. Studies estimate that around 54% of all species could become extinct as a result of this rapid climate change.
Scientists are using advanced new animal distribution models to identify species that are particularly threatened by climate. They even hope to help some animals find new habitats despite the bleakest climate scenarios.
Climate-induced animal migrations!
Global warming will create new waves of migration for all living creatures on earth. The animals have already begun to move!
Many animals are moving to higher altitudes and latitudes to escape the heat.
In a study of bird and butterfly distribution in Europe, butterflies moved their habitat about 114 km north. Birds moved an average of 37 km further north.
Land-dwelling animals are now estimated to move an average of about 17 km towards the poles each decade. Ocean-dwellers currently move this front line 72 km.
Of course, the subject is multidimensional and variable for each animal species. For example, birds are highly mobile and can easily fly to new habitats. In contrast, long-distance migration is nearly impossible for animals like sloths, turtles, or koalas.
Move, adapt or…
Animals can respond to climate change in three ways: They can move, adapt, or lose the fight, i.e. die. Even in a relatively optimistic scenario, some animal species will unfortunately go extinct.
The situation is different for people. Stages such as moving, adapting, mitigating, correcting and repairing seem essential for us to clean up the mess we have created. What animals do with their vital instincts, humanity cannot turn it into collective action, even with a common sense.
Again, a large group of people will not care or even belittle this issue. But, one day, huge populations will have to migrate. They will even fight for basic resources like water due to the climate crisis. Then it will be realized that the issue is of existential importance for humanity.
After all, as we always say, it is not our planet that is in real danger when it comes to global warming. The true crisis is the threat to humanity itself, fully and sharply. Either we will take action and take clear steps in this regard, or we will face very harsh life problems.
As always, we have the choice…
Sources:
Science Illustrated, July 2023
Book – Benjamin von Brackel, Nowhere Left to Go: How Climate Change Is Driving Species to the Ends of the Earth
Discover more from ActNow: In Humanity We Trust
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