{"id":46705,"date":"2017-11-21T16:24:43","date_gmt":"2017-11-21T21:24:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/wildwire\/?p=46705"},"modified":"2019-08-19T09:22:08","modified_gmt":"2019-08-19T13:22:08","slug":"the-basics-of-biodiversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/climate-change-2\/the-basics-of-biodiversity\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate Change 101: The Basics of Biodiversity"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a dedicated Earth Ranger, we probably don\u2019t need to tell you twice that climate change is a serious problem for plants and animals everywhere. It affects their homes, their health, and even their babies \u2013 but what is climate change and how exactly does it work?
\n\"earth-temp-warming\"
\n 
\nScientists use \u201cclimate change\u201d to refer to changes in the Earth\u2019s weather patterns that happen over a long period of time. A summer heat wave or a green Christmas without snow are just short-term changes in the weather, not climate change \u2013 but when unusual weather happens again and again each year, scientists start to worry. A mild winter or extra hot summer might not raise any alarm bells on its own, but with 16 of the last 17 years ranking among the warmest on record, it\u2019s safe to say there\u2019s cause for concern.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s causing Earth\u2019s climate to change like this? In a nutshell, we are. Gases in Earth\u2019s atmosphere trap the warmth from the sun and keep our planet at just the right temperature. But when we burn fossil fuels (like coal and oil) to drive our cars, heat our homes, or produce electricity, the smoke that comes out of chimneys, cars and trucks adds more greenhouse gases (like carbon dioxide and methane) into the air. More greenhouse gases trap more heat in the atmosphere, and this trapped heat is making our planet warmer. Warmer temperatures cause all kinds of strange things to happen, like melting glaciers that can lead to rising sea levels, more rain that can lead to flooding, or less rain that can cause drought. The specific impacts of climate change all depend on where you live.<\/p>\n

\"greenhouse_effect\"
Greenhouse gases released when we burn fossil fuels trap air in the atmosphere, which causes the surface of the Earth to warm.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n

So now that we know what climate change is and the problems it can cause, what can we do about it?\u00a0 Well, fortunately we have the power to both mitigate<\/em><\/strong> and adapt<\/em><\/strong> to climate change.<\/p>\n

Mitigation: <\/em><\/strong>trying to slow down or prevent climate change before it occurs or while it\u2019s happening by reducing the amount of greenhouse gases we add to the atmosphere.\u00a0 Actions like carpooling or buying local products are examples of mitigation.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

Adaptation: <\/em><\/strong>trying to adjust our behaviours to deal with climate change now that it\u2019s occurring.\u00a0 Things like planting trees to prevent erosion or using rainbarrels to collect excess stormwater are examples of adaptation.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, many plants and animals just can\u2019t adapt quickly enough to climate change, which is causing big problems for Canada\u2019s biodiversity<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

Biodiversity:<\/em><\/strong><\/span> the variety of plants, animals, and other living organisms in a habitat or ecosystem<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

A tree that\u2019s used to a cool fall can\u2019t just pack up and move to a new location when it\u2019s too hot in September, and a baby bird that hatches when the air warms up earlier than it\u2019s supposed to in the spring can\u2019t just make berries to eat when flowers haven\u2019t even blossomed yet. In addition to these examples, climate change is also causing other serious problems in Canada for both animals and humans, including:<\/p>\n