Mr. Callahan
24/08/18
Kolbert visits the rainforests in Peru to investigate global warming. According to the latitudinal diversity gradient, there is little biodiversity at the poles and rich biodiversity at lower altitudes. Although there isn't a definite explanation for this event, one theory suggests that there's a direct relationship between climate and biodiversity; another theory suggests that tropical species evolve and reproduce faster compared to species at the poles. While in Peru’s forests, Miles Silman, an ecologist, shows Kolbert the different tree plots recording biodiversity and temperature; his research concluded that when species are in an unfamiliar climate, they will either adapt or migrate northwards in search of a familiar climate. This is similar to the Pleistocene period when the planet became cooler and species migrated toward the equator in search of warmer temperatures. However, scientists predict that, within the next century, the Earth's temperature will increase at an unprecedented speed and pose a threat to life forms. As a result, species won't have enough time to adapt or migrate and will inevitably die out.
This chapter connects to the theme that natural systems are constantly changing over time and space. As stated in the text, “Over the lifetime of a species, on the order of a million years, longer-term temperature changes come into play. For the past 40 million years or so, the Earth has been in a general cooling phase...warming today is taking place at least 10 times faster than it did at the end of the last glaciation…” In essence, climate change is very normal because the world’s temperature is always changing; however, what makes climate change a threat is the speed at which temperature is rising. It’s evident that life forms won’t be able to adapt or survive the temperature change and will die out. I connected this to a recent article I read about the Greenland ice sheet; as a result of global warming, it's been melting since 1998 and adding 0.02 inches to sea levels. If the whole ice sheet were to melt, cities like NYC would be submerged in water. This goes to show that conditions are changing faster than we realize and we must make a change in our actions.
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