生物多样性的消失率很惊人,比因自然因素灭绝的速度要高上1,000 到10,000倍。 「目前物种灭绝的速度远远超过任何化石纪录。」 (《皇家学会哲学会刊B辑:生物学》〔Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (Biological Science)〕) 由于各国无法达成保护动植物生命的目标,生态系统可能朝向永久性的损害。 (联合国环境规划署〔UNEP〕,2010年)
目前每天高达270种独特的物种在消失。.
由于气候变迁以及其他大部分的人为因素,有些专家说,地球将经历「第6次大灭绝」。
当全球平均气温上升超过摄氏3.5度,全球各地高达70%的物种可能会灭绝。(联合国跨政府气候变迁小组) 2010年各物种受影响的最新报导:
由于海冰减少,自1975年以来,南极企鹅数量锐减80%以上。
由于气候变迁造成过早解冻或结冰,植物性食物无法取得,北极驯鹿因此纷纷饿死,其数量正急遽下降当中。
2010年9月,数万只海象由于缺乏平常休憩的海冰,不寻常地都跑上岸来,这种情况在2007年和2009年也发生过。
候鸟们纷纷死亡,因为不合时宜的旅行,使他们到达目的地时没有足够的食物可吃,例如湿地已经干涸,不再能提供他们栖息地。
参考来源
Radford, T. (2004, March 19). Warning sounded on decline of species. The Guardian. Retrieved January 11, 2011 fromhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2004/mar/19/taxonomy.science Whitty, J. (2007, April 30). Animal Extinction - the greatest threat to mankind. The Independent. Retrieved January 11, 2011 fromhttp://www.independent.co.uk/environment/animal-extinction--the-greatest-threat-to-mankind-397939.html Romm, J. (2010, November 9). Royal Society: “There are very strong indications that the current rate of species extinctions far exceeds anything in the fossil record.” Climate Progress blog. Retrieved January 11, 2011 fromhttp://climateprogress.org/2010/11/09/royal-society-rate-of-species-extinctions-far-exceeds-anything-in-the-fossil-recordo/ Hance, J. (2010, May 10). Collapsing biodiversity is a ‘wake-up call for humanity’. An online acticle on the United Nations Environment Programme [UNEP] report. Mongabay.com. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0510-hance_wake_up.html ibid 17. Koch, W. (2010, November 12). Global warming harms Antarctica’s penguins, book says. USA Today. Retrieved January 11, 2011 fromhttp://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/11/global-warming-threatens-antartica-penguins/1 Struzik, E. (2010, September 23). A Troubling Decline in the Caribou Herds of the Arctic. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from Yale, School of Forestry & Environmental Studies website http://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2321 Goldenberg, S. (2010, September 13). The Guardian. Retrieved January 11, 2011 fromhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/sep/13/walrus-haul-out-alaska Gray, R. (2010, September 5). Migratory birds decline in UK due to low African rain. The Telegraph. Retrieved January 11, 2011 fromhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7981699/Migratory-birds-decline-in-UK-due-to-low-African-rain.html Sample, I. (2009, July 28) Human activity is driving Earth’s ‘sixth great extinction event’. The Guardian. Retrieved January 11, 2011 fromhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/28/species-extinction-hotspots-australia Romm, J. (2009, April 9). Time Magazine: How climate change is causing a new age of extinction. An online acticle on the (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC] report. Climate Progress blog. Retrieved January 11, 2011 fromhttp://climateprogress.org/2009/04/09/time-magazine-how-climate-change-is-causing-a-new-age-of-extinction/