Discuss and Develop

What is Climate Change?  

Climate change is the ‘Long term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns’ due to human activity.  

This is because of many things but ‘primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.’ If you burn fossil fuels it creates horrible gasses called Greenhouse gasses, this traps the suns’ heat and temperatures rise. The main two greenhouse gasses causing the most damage are Carbon Dioxide and Methane. ‘Energy, industry, transport, buildings, agriculture and land use are among the main sectors causing greenhouse gases.’ 

How is plastic entering the environment? 

According to Source 2 ‘each year, at least 14 million tonnes of plastic end up in our oceans’ also that all the plastic that is polluting our seas is choking the turtles and poisoning the whales.  

Plastic enters the environment by burning, landfill of plastic bottles, cups, packaging, and waste plastic being dropped into the rivers and seas.  

How does plastic affect animals? 

One of the most important reasons we need to stop polluting is because the marine animals such as the green sea turtles can’t tell the difference between their food and the plastic. To the marine animals the plastic smells, looks, feels, and even sounds the same as their traditional food. The plastic that they eat is choking and poisoning marine life. It also affects the food chain – the animals that are lower in the food chain that consume plastic are eaten by animals higher in the food chain (even humans), so they have plastic inside them too.  

How does Climate Change affect animals? 

Climate change is increasing temperatures worldwide. Sea temperatures are rising, ice caps are melting which is causing sea levels to rise as well as leaving less ice for arctic animals. Weather patterns are changing with an increasing number of storms. 

Source 3 talks about how polar bears in the artic are suffering majorly from the loss of the ice caps, they rely on the ice caps as an area for hunting for food but since they are melting rapidly their chance of finding enough food to survive is becoming slimmer and slimmer. There are nineteen different subpopulations of polar bears that live in the arctic. Throughout their winters and springs, they go hunting on sea ice. They mainly eat seals which gives them the necessary fats and nutrients for the harsh arctic environment. Try as they might polar bears can’t outswim their prey but instead wait on the sea ice, using it as a platform and surprise the seal ‘at breathing holes or break through the ice.  

One of the greatest challenges green sea turtles face today is habitat there are many different places for them to nest. Source 9 shows Raine island as one of the many protected beaches. Raine island has up to 100,000 female turtles. The reason green sea turtles are mainly because of humans' actions: recreational fishing gear, vessel strikes, loss of nesting habitat from costal development pollution and climate change. Source 5 also says that sadly 6 out of 7 species of sea turtles are threatened, and that 1 in 1000 marine turtles make it to adultery this is because of predators and plastic pollution. The sand temperatures are rising and so are the sea levels which are destroying the sea turtles' nests. So, we need to reduce our carbon footprint and start to clean up the plastic pollution. The WWF are also working to help the Antarctic blue whale. It was estimated that there were 225,000 Antarctic blue whales before their exploitation, but now today there are less than 3000. 

How does animals evolve and adapt? 

Charles Darwin ‘Theory of Evolution’ states that: 

• individual organisms within a particular species show a wide range of variation for a characteristic 

• individuals with characteristics most suited to the environment are more likely to survive to breed successfully 

• the characteristics that have enabled these individuals to survive are then passed on to the next generation 

This theory is called natural selection. 

So, as the climate and environment changes certain animals will be more suited to the new warmer environment. These animals are more likely to survive and breed successfully. Unfortunately, this means that certain species will not be suited to the new environment and will go extinct. 

What can people do to help? 

Climate change requires a global approach to reducing greenhouse gases. Reducing the amount of travel, using the train instead of the plane produces less carbon emissions. Walking or cycling as opposed to taking the car will also help.  

Making our homes more efficient with better insulation means we need less energy to heat them and use less fossil fuels. 

Recycling and re-using things means we produce less and don’t use as many fossil fuels which create greenhouse gases. 

Source 3 shows that Nasa has the intention to stop climate change, they have many objectives such as: Increase energy efficiency, increasing the use of renewable energy and eliminate waste, prevent pollution, and increase recycling. 

Researchers say that going plant-based is the “single biggest way” an individual can minimize their impact on the environment. Cutting meat and dairy products from your diet could decrease your carbon footprint from food by a monumental 73 percent. Even reducing your intake of animal products can make a difference. 

Source 7 talks about the separate ways of helping and supporting the environment E.G take action in your community or cut down on meat and dairy, meat and dairy production is responsible for 14% of global climate-changing emissions or use solar panels or the wind to power your things. Small improvements like these are not hard to do but make a significant difference in the fight against climate change. 

Source 4 is trying to convey a message to end factory farming for all animals so they can have a better life. They are doing this because they believe that all the farm animals deserve to be able to roam free and this type of farming, factory farming, is harmful to the environment. Source 8 says factory farming also causes air pollution by releasing greenhouse gases. Source 4 has many solutions such as: making better choices of what food we eat ‘we all have the choice – three times a day’