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Animal Friends : Quarter of Species Gone by 2050
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 Message 1 of 4 in Discussion 
From: MSN Nicknamebreeze_tioga  (Original Message)Sent: 4/13/2006 1:34 PM

Using several models that project habitat changes, migration capabilities of various species, and related extinctions in 25 "hotspots," scientists predict that a quarter of the world's plant and vertebrate animal species would face extinction by 2050.

A report detailing the projections was released today.

Biodiversity hotspots are some of the richest and most threatened biological pools on Earth.  They contain 44 percent of plant and 35 percent of the Earth's vertebrate species on only 1.4 percent of the Earth's land. Each hotspot contains its own set of unique species.

"Climate change is rapidly becoming the most serious threats to the planet's biodiversity," said Jay Malcolm, an assistant forestry professor at the University of Toronto. "This study provides even stronger scientific evidence that global warming will result in catastrophic species loss across the planet."

In the most dramatic of the scenarios, for which carbon dioxide levels grow to double that of today's levels, the models forecasted a potential loss of 56,000 plant species and 3,700 vertebrate species in the hotspots.

Such a climate scenario could become a reality in only 50 years, the study estimates.

"These species lose their last options if we allow climate change to continue unchecked," said Lara Hansen, chief climate scientist at the global conservation group World Wildlife Fund. "Keeping the natural wealth of this planet means we must avoid dangerous climate change—and that means we have got to reduce carbon dioxide emissions."

The study found that certain hotspots were especially sensitive to climate change with extinctions sometimes exceeding 2,000 plant species per hotspot. These include the Caribbean, the Tropical Andes, Cape Floristic region of South Africa, Southwest Australia, the Atlantic forests of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.

The results are detailed in the journal Conservation Biology.

Visit LiveScience.com for more daily news, views and scientific inquiry with an original, provocative point of view. LiveScience reports amazing, real world breakthroughs, made simple and stimulating for people on the go. Check out our collection of Amazing Images, Image Galleries, Interactive Features, Trivia and more. Get cool gadgets at the new LiveScience Store, sign up for our free daily email newsletter and check out our RSS feeds today!



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 Message 2 of 4 in Discussion 
From: MSN NicknameSmigChickSent: 4/13/2006 8:57 PM
The climate change is only part of what's going to kill everything off though. Another component is how humans continue to clear lands, especially rain forest lands, that support thousands of species who won't survive without it.
 
I'm glad I'll be gone by 2050.

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 Message 3 of 4 in Discussion 
From: MSN NicknameDiamond-2005Sent: 4/19/2006 3:31 PM
I was watching PBS last night and there was a special on there about the earth and what we're doing to it and how it's affecting the animal species. It is really sad!
 

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 Message 4 of 4 in Discussion 
From: MSN NicknameSmigChickSent: 4/19/2006 8:25 PM
Wish I'd caught that, Diamond, it looks excellent. This is an excerpt from one of the pages:
 

The Arctic �?a once pristine wilderness under siege. Mexico �?living in the shadow of tariff-free factories. Uzbekistan �?caught between its silk road heritage and the realities of the 21st century. And the United States �?a Latino neighborhood celebrates an environmental victory �?while a sanctuary for biodiversity becomes a graveyard for millions of birds. Journey To Planet Earth investigates the global link between the release of toxic pollutants and the health of our planet.

Video Excerpt:   [ 56k ]    [ 220k ]

We begin our journey in the Arctic, an isolated and vulnerable world of extremes. In many ways, this is the perfect place to investigate the future health of our planet �?a future conditional on how we cope with the spread of toxic pollution.

The Arctic is a place dominated by the rhythms of nature and the seasonal patterns of migration. It's a place of deep fiords teeming with life and remote fishing villages governed by the endless cycle of strong tidal currents. However, the image that most people have of the polar region �?of a pristine unspoiled wilderness �?is far from accurate. The Arctic, which has very few sources of industrial pollution, is turning into a toxic sink. In a phenomenon scientists call the grasshopper effect, toxic pollutants released thousands of miles to the south evaporate in the warm climate then ride the winds until they reach the cold air of the Arctic, where they eventually fall to the earth.

Thousands of miles to the south in Tijuana, the community of Colonia Chilpancingo suffered from a much more local source of pollution. When it rains a nearby creek is flooded with chemical wastes from a deserted industrial park upstream. Lead oxides, sulfites, heavy metals, sulfuric acid, and arsenic travel in the contaminated waterway that weave its way through the shantytown community. It poisons everything and everyone in its path �?including the community's only source of water.

Over the border just 17 miles North, the San Diego community of Barrio Logan celebrates its victory over one of its neighborhood’s chief polluters , a small industrial factory called Master Plating. Although the struggle against environmental threats to the community's health has lasted decades, the price of not fighting is too high not to pay.

Over 7,000 miles away in the Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan, the death of the Aral Sea has become a never-ending nightmare. The rivers that fed the sea were diverted to increase the region’s cotton production, leaving behind a toxic dust that is poisoning the people.

Though most scientists have concluded that it's too late to save the Aral Sea, it does serve as a graphic warning for the people of Palm Springs who may live in the path of a potential storm of toxic dust. Just beyond the Salton Sea is a vast network of generators that harness the power of the wind, providing ample electricity but also serving as a reminder that high winds are a natural part of the local environment.

As the Salton Sea begins to recede, toxic dust storms will inevitably come off the dried-out lakebed. Despite this danger, the transfer of water from the Sea to the city of San Diego has gone forward without an agreed upon plan or even adequate funds to remedy the situation. Could Californians be risking a similar health crisis as the people of Uzbekistan?

This new reality presents us with enormous challenges for the future. It is a future conditional on providing new ideas, new attitudes and new hope.


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