Title
Human Responses to Climate Change will Seriously Impact Biodiversity Conservation: It's Time We Start Planning for Them
Author(s)
Watson, J. E. M.
Published
2014
Publisher
Conservation Letters
Abstract
The consequences for biodiversity of human-driven climate change cannot be ignored. The rate at which the earth is warming is accelerating, and it is likely to take centuries for the climate system to sync back to a natural climate cycle, regardless of the mitigation policies implemented. The quantity of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere is such that climate change can now no longer be considered a ‘future threat’. Across the planet we are already witnessing, among other things, change in species’ phenology, distributions and abundance, mass coral bleaching events, changes in fire frequency, and the loss of ecosystems due to rapid de-glaciation and sea-level rise.
Keywords
Climate change;indirect effects;direct effects;time-scale;adaptation planning;species vulnerability;human adaptation
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PUB15380