Monday, November 16, 2009

Warning Signs of Climate Change

Climate change and global warming are widely discussed topics that have brought many questions to the front of our minds. What causes are to blame for climate change? Is it humans? Or is it a natural phenomenon? While we can't justify the blame to any one source, we can't neglect the signs that it is actually happening.
Animals have always stuck true to their natural instincts because it is survival of the fittest and that is all they have to rely on to survive. In movies, they are portrayed as the warning sign that a disaster is coming. As discussed in our BIO230 class today (11/16), because of the cooler and dryer climate changes in Africa, one line of apes have adapted to the Savannah territory. As humans, we have somewhat strayed from our instincts because although there is still competition within our race, we've all pretty much conformed to support each other as a whole. Not to mention that we've made our way to the top of the food chain. This may have been brought about from our bipedalism, as it has brought many advantages to our survival.
An article I found called "Jellyfish swarm northward in warming world" tells how fishermen are seeing swarms of poisonous and deadly jellyfish in their catch. "Scientists believe climate change — the warming of oceans — has allowed some of the almost 2,000 jellyfish species to expand their ranges, appear earlier in the year and increase overall numbers, much as warming has helped ticks, bark beetles and other pests to spread to new latitudes." One fisherman said they get depressed when they see jellyfish because it can severely taint and ruin the fish. "In 2007, a salmon farm in Northern Ireland lost its more than 100,000 fish to an attack by the mauve stinger, a jellyfish normally known for stinging bathers in warm Mediterranean waters. Scientists cite its migration to colder Irish seas as evidence of global warming." One researcher from the University of British Columbia said, "These increases in jellyfish should be a warning sign that our oceans are stressed and unhealthy."Seeing as how this phenomenon is severely penetrating the fishing industry, I'm wondering if this could be the beginning of the downfall of the vast empire. As "they" say, all good things come to an end, unless we can find a way to reverse what is happening, but at this point it doesn't seem like it can be controlled.
We don't need a giant billboard or an ex-presidential candidate to tell us that climate change is happening; we can see the signs all around us. They vary from tsunamis, tornadoes, and hurricanes to animal migrations, diseases, and overall instinct. Maybe if we tap into our own animal instinct we could find a solution to our worries of the changing world...or just quite possibly migrate to an alternate location. I hear they've found water on the moon...

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