Issued by the US-based
Endangered
Species Coalition,
the report, “It's
Getting Hot Out There:
Top 10 Places to Save
for Endangered Species
in a Warming World,”
describes ecosystems that
are already under threat
due to climate change.
Based on data from
the United Nations
Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change,
which states that
up to 30% of all species
face increased risk
of extinction with
a 3 degree Celsius rise
in temperature, the report
outlines vulnerabilities
while urging
the US government
for greater protection
of natural habitats.
Top among the ten
jeopardized ecosystems
is the Arctic Sea region,
noted to be warming
at twice the rate of
the rest of the world,
with dwindling habitats
for polar bears,
Pacific walrus and
at least six species of seals.
Other ecosystems
on the list include
the Sierra Mountains
in California, USA where
30 native species of
amphibians, including
the yellow-legged frog,
are known to be at risk,
and the Greater Everglades
of the southern USA,
home to 67 threatened
and endangered species,
including
the beloved herbivorous
marine mammal,
the manatee.
Commenting
on the imminent perils to
animals and Earth as seen
through these locations,
Endangered Species
Coalition Executive Director
Leda Huta stated,
“Climate change is
no longer a distant threat
on the horizon.
It has arrived and
is threatening ecosystems
that we all depend upon,
and our endangered
species are particularly
vulnerable.
If we are serious about
saving endangered species
from global warming,
then these are the places
to start.”
Thank you,
Executive Director Huta
and Endangered Species
Coalition for identifying
these key areas that
need our attention now.
Let us all join in
immediate actions
to protect our planet and
her precious inhabitants.
As part of her tireless
efforts to protect all
the irreplaceable beings
on Earth,
Supreme Master Ching Hai
spoke of the vital role
of humanity's care for
our animal co-inhabitants
during an August 2009
videoconference
in Thailand.
Supreme Master Ching Hai : The animal friends are
in many ways more
aware of climate change
than we are because
they are the ones
on the frontlines
holding up nature's
delicate web of life.
They are also, sadly,
the first-hand victims
of global warming,
as we have witnessed
and discovered.
They are in our hands,
the humans' hands.
And the essential change
that will be the most
restorative for our world
is to be vegan.
That is the essence
of what we need
to stabilize the planet,
to bless the world
through our everyday
benevolent actions,
meaning be vegan.
http://www.examiner.com/environmental-policy-in-national/new-study-reveals-climate-change-threatens-key-u-s-systems,
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2011/sierra-nevada-01-05-2011.html,
http://itsgettinghotoutthere.org/ESC_Top_10_Digital.pdf