Canaries in global coal mine

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Published: April 22, 2009 2:21 a.m.

Last modified: April 22, 2009 9:49 a.m.

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Their are numerous warning signs that global warming is affecting the Earth as we know it.

Here are some examples:

Adélie penguins
Global warming is affecting the Adélie penguin colonies in the Antarctic peninsula. Over the last 50 years, winter temperatures have risen by about 5 C in the peninsula, reducing the amount of pack ice. Pack ice directly affects the availability of algae available for krill, the main staple of the penguin’s diet. Without pack ice, there is no algae and no food for krills — a direct repercussion on the penguin’s diet. In the last decade, the population of Adélie penguins has declined by almost 50 per cent.
Source: National Geographic

Bees
Scientist Albert Einstein famously said: “If the bee disappears from the surface of the Earth, man would have no more than four years to live. No more bees, no more pollination … no more men!”

Excessive pesticide use in North America has led to a decline of up to 50 per cent of managed colonies of honeybees.

Crops such as apples, pears and berries depend entirely on pollinators for fruit production.
Source: www.Bumblebee.org

Coral reefs
Coral reefs provide goods and services worth about $375 billion each year — yet the coral ecosystem covers less than one per cent of the Earth’s surface.

In fishing, both the food and marine ornamental trade are often caught using cyanide, which stuns fish for easy capture. Cyanide kills the coral and many other coral reef organisms such as coral polyps. Less than half the fish caught with cyanide survive long enough to then be sold to restaurants or aquariums.
Source: www.Peopleandplanet.net

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