Answer

Climate Change as an Environmental Change

            Climate change as an environmental change has disturbed the environment through long-term changes in weather patterns resulting in an increase in the earth’s temperature by a degree on average post the Industrial revolution. As the earth’s atmosphere gets warmer because of climate change, climate change can be attributed to human activities that have rendered the earth’s atmosphere volatile (Denchak, 2017). Such activities include the increase in production of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas, production of excessive amounts of greenhouse emissions into the atmosphere, deforestation that has increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and increased intense agriculture that has seen the release of increased numbers of nitrogen and methane gases in the atmosphere. The drastic changes in the earth’s atmosphere have influenced species interactions, changes in ecological communities, and changes in the earth’s biome.

            Climate change has affected species interactions across the world. Before climate change, animals and plants respond to seasonal changes to help in their migratory patterns towards food sources. However, climate change has led to the change in the atmosphere and has affected timings in seasonal activities amongst predators and other organisms. For example, plankton growth has been affected, leading to fish migratory patterns in cooler climates as now they have to search for food further into new territories (Heikkinen, 2016). Species have become more sensitive to temperature changes resulting in organisms opting to move into Warmer climates. Therefore, this has led to a concern over some species like the polar bear, snow leopard, mountain gorilla, green sea turtle, elephant, cheetah, and the monarch butterfly (Brambilla et al., 2019). Eventually, such organisms have had reduced food to eat, or breeding grounds have been depleted because of temperature change; hence, predatory species have changed their feeding frenzies to maintain their survival. Such impacts on species interactions have also necessitated impacts on major ecosystems.

            Climate change has led to increased concerns on ecosystems across the world. Because of climate change, there have been recorded rises in precipitation in some areas while others have been affected by drought and extremely dry weather with recorded low atmospheric precipitation (Malhi et al., 2020). Climate change has resulted in the melting of ice caps; therefore, increased water in the oceans has influenced natural environmental changes; including increased hurricanes, tsunamis, and tornados (EPA Administrator, 2016). Increased ocean water leads to water intrusion leading to species that thrive in freshwater areas to relocate or become extinct through death. Ultimately, climate change’s influence on ecosystems has threatened existing food chains.

            Climate change has also led to changes in the earth’s biome. For example, deforestation has increased soil erosion chances in forests (EPA Administrator, 2016). During strong heavy rains in forested areas, the soil is loose and swept off into river banks that take it downstream into ocean and seas. Consequently, this has put stress on land along coastlines where the rich soil has been eroded to leaving high latitude areas without fertile soil rich in humus and nutrients for tree growth; furthering climate change because of increased atmospheric temperatures increased carbon emission, that trees help in absorbing. Additionally, there have been changes in temperature and precipitation patterns. This has increased rain and rain-related catastrophes worldwide like the Asian peninsula where tsunamis have increased, leading to people displaced (EPA Administrator, 2017). Lastly, melting glaciers have proven an effect on the earth’s biome. Melted glaciers and polar ice caps have threatened a rise in sea levels while also diminishing the natural habitats for species such as the polar bear and snow leopard.

In the end, climate change should be regulated through the reduction of human activities that lead up to increased atmospheric temperatures through greenhouse emissions, deforestation, and increased intensive agriculture. By doing so, there will be a reduced change in species’ interactions, improved ecosystems, and better preservation of the earth’s biome. Ultimately, species can go back to their migratory patterns because of the availability of food and breeding grounds; hence, some species that may be thought extinct can be saved by saving their habitats.