Climate Justice is Animal Justice

Biodiversity on the Decline

Biodiversity is our strongest natural defense against climate change. It is more important than ever that we work together to address climate change related extinction and habitat loss before it is too late. 

Wildlife continues to be one of the most innocent victims of the harsh realities of climate change. Biodiversity is constantly threatened by the altered marine, freshwater, and land based ecosystems. rarely favor wildlife conservation. Higher temperatures are kicking in, and animals and even plants and flora must rise in elevation or latitude in order to prevent extinction. This mass fleeing and changes in migration patterns, or location of wildlife can completely destroy current ecosystem dynamics, and it will only get worse as temperatures continue to rise. 

Humans can completely alter land, converting it for agricultural purposes and effectively eliminating safe spaces for wildlife. Due to the limitations of ice-free land, it is more important than ever that we learn how to sincerely share these common spaces. 

How This Impacts Us

Over 1 million species are facing extinction in the current state of the world. Polluted water-ways and poor air quality are large side effects of climate change that can kill large numbers of animals at a time. As wildlife seek safety in cooler, more stable environments, they grow increasingly close to human civilization. When we destroy habitats with industrialization and increased emissions of greenhouse gases, bird and mammal populations will inhabit land we occupy, and this leads to increased risk of bacteria and viruses passed on by sick animals. There are around 1.6 million viruses contained in mammals and birds worldwide, we are at risk of public health crises daily. Death of a large number of species can also upend the food chain, and lead to the death of species who rely on one another to survive. Your food and water supply is at risk when species go extinct.
Aside from the moral and worrisome nature of animals losing their lives, climate change poses another threat altogether. Biodiversity is the end all ecosystem service which provides for the global economy.  Without our natural resources in good health and activity, we could see a crash in the ways millions make money and care for one another.

Wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and record high temperatures destroy beloved parks, fisheries, forests, and hundreds of other natural resources humanity has capitalized on since its existence. Without the variety of species keeping our waters flourishing with life, there will be nowhere to kayak, bike, or hike. Invasive species will dominate forests and oceans, and native plant life will suffer. It is important to understand that caring for wildlife and plants is the key to keeping us all healthy during this climate crisis.

Sichuan China and Hand Pollination

A startling example comes from Sichuan China where the pollinator population had been rapidly falling, but no one was prepared for the consequence. China is one of the leading producers of pears and apples, and makes a good sum of money exporting their fruit. However, due to near extinction of their local pollinators, farmers had to take on hand-pollinating the fruit trees. This meant more man power, more hard labor, with the result of the slowest process to use a pollinating stick for each bud at a time. Wild foraging sites for pollinators have been cleared out for industry and agriculture, with little hesitance. Policies and corporate greed will inevitably damage most of the critical land bees, butterflies, bats, and other crucial pollinators need to keep flowers, fruit, and other oxygen producing plants alive. In order to make food diverse and affordable, it is essential to prioritize the small creatures that make it happen for us. It is an injustice not to the animals who are dying rapidly, but us who are consuming more than our planet can provide. 

Looking into the Future

It is not looking promising when it comes to our current targets of biodiversity and climate change mitigation. If we continue to avoid direct action and go easy on policymakers who have profit in mind, vital species will die out.

Scientists and conservationists can only provide and work so hard before they are at a dead end with no funds and no one to listen to them. The facts can only wake up those who are willing to listen, so it is up to us to aid in rapid emissions reduction, and advocate the sustainability of open land for our birds, mammals and bugs who keep natural land vibrant and absorb the carbon we emit. We can work together to avoid overconsumption which is a major contributor to the intensification of climate change related events and weather patterns. Islands are a main victim of habitat and species loss, so it is important to learn the most equitable ways to address this cause, and call on policymakers to address the problems right away before this leads to a crisis we cannot manage. We have time to make progress, but soon it will not be that optimistic.