Scientists are saying that there is not much report and media coverage of how wildlife is really affected by the climate change. They have published it in "Nature Climate Change" journal.
According to Huffington Post, a group of scientist has reviewed 130 studies about climate change and its effect on wildlife. In their analysis, the authors have found out that there are almost 700 endangered species that are directly affected. Nearly half of the mammals or 47% or them and nearly a quarter of the birds or 23% of them on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species are negatively impacted by climate change.
The previous studies have stated that a mere seven percent of mammals and four percent of birds on the Red List were impacted. Live Science has reported that many, if not most, climate change studies only report the future effects. The impact of climate change is very visible in the present, said the researchers. The studies conducted focuses on different endangered species so nobody knows the real number if combined, they also added
"We know that the last 50 years have been warmer than the 50 years before that and that there's already been a 1-degree [Celsius] global warming event, but no one really talks about it," explained study co-author James Watson, director of the Science and Research Initiative at the Wildlife Conservation Society.
The main reasons that the wildlife is affected by climate change are the rising or sea levels, drought, and extreme heat. The researchers made mountain gorillas as an example. They said that mountain gorillas have certain diets and have nowhere to go if the environment is destroyed because of climate change. They might die in the near future if that happens.
The biodiversity crisis is evident as other species of fish and birds are also affected. Global warming is affecting every ecosystem so no animal is safe.
