For some species, climate impacts are not as direct but all living things depend on a stable climate and functioning ecosystems (Photo: Jenny Lee Silver via Flickr)
Connecting the Dots Between the Climate and Biodiversity Crises
The polar bear has become the poster child for climate change impacts in the Arctic. Sea ice, which the bears depend on for hunting, is melting at an ever-expanding rate.
For other species, climate impacts are not as direct. The 2019 State of Canada's Birds report found aerial insectivores like swifts, swallows and nightjars have declined by 59 per cent since 1970. The report cites climate change as one of several threats, as severe weather limits insect availability.
Similarly, according to Lauren Meads, director of the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society of B.C., extreme weather events linked to climate change have affected habitat where captive rehabilitated burrowing owls are released, affecting their ability to return to breeding grounds the following year.
For those working to help species recover, addressing the primary cause of decline is key. Although climate disruption is exacerbating the plight of many species, the polar bear and its Arctic neighbours stand (or swim or fly) alone to some extent. The primary cause of decline for most at-risk species in Canada is habitat loss and degradation.
Some industries are trying to use the ever-evolving climate crisis to stall habitat protection and recovery. When the forestry industry called for a delay in much-needed recovery measures, citing the need to explore climate change impacts on caribou populations, some leading caribou scientists wrote, "There is little evidence to suggest that climate change brought caribou populations to their current threatened condition, nor does climate change explain the rapid rates of decline and range recession that are continuing today in many locations."
The ecological emergency driving species imperilment and the climate crisis can't be entirely conflated.
Although they intersect, the ecological emergency driving species imperilment and the climate crisis can't be entirely conflated. The extinction crisis is caused by a lack of sufficient limits to development, agricultural and resource-extraction activities. The climate crisis is cause by a lack of sufficient limits to greenhouse gases we release into the atmosphere.
That isn't to say that there isn't significant overlap, in causes and solutions.
A Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society report says, "Human activity, including industrial farming, logging, mining, hydro-electric development, and oil and gas exploration, have caused these twin ecological crises, which are closely interrelated." Finding Common Ground finds, "Reducing human-driven land use change in Canada's ecosystems, especially wetlands, offers a potential treasure trove of emission reductions with significant biodiversity benefits."
This is especially true in Alberta and northeastern B.C., where oil and gas development have devastated caribou habitat and imperilled wildlife and the Indigenous communities that depend on it. Industrial activity has disturbed 96 per cent of the Little Smoky caribou range and 70 to 80 per cent of the Chinchaga, West Side Athabasca River, East Side Athabasca River, Cold Lake, Nipisi and Slave Lake boreal caribou ranges.
These high disturbance levels reduce caribou populations' chances of persistence to less than 20 per cent. To increase their chances, significant changes are needed to contain the logging and oil and gas footprint and initiate aggressive restoration.
Protecting habitat such as the boreal forest, rich with peatlands, would also serve as a means of sequestering carbon.
Protecting habitat such as the boreal forest, rich with peatlands, would also serve as a means of sequestering carbon.
Wildlife decline isn't just an ecological issue. In B.C.'s Peace River Valley, more than three-quarters of Blueberry River First Nations traditional territory is within a few minutes' walk of industrial disturbance. In May 2019, Blueberry took the province to court, arguing that the cumulative impacts of industrial activities -- primarily oil and gas -- have significantly affected the lands and wildlife within their traditional territory and, accordingly, their treaty rights to hunt and fish.
Although there are different ways to mend and mitigate the two crises, the root causes -- avoiding our duties to repair what we have fractured, neglecting to set limits to human activities, stalling direly needed actions -- are the same, as are the broad solutions: recognizing our impacts on the planet, taking responsibility for them and coming together to take immediate, meaningful action. As the CPAWS report says, protecting and restoring forests, peatlands, grasslands and wetlands can advance biodiversity and climate goals.
As daunting as both crises are, we can't look away. We must face them and change course.
All living things depend on a stable climate and functioning ecosystems. Our planet is the only one with badgers and dragonflies -- and chocolate! It's worth fighting for.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
For other species, climate impacts are not as direct. The 2019 State of Canada's Birds report found aerial insectivores like swifts, swallows and nightjars have declined by 59 per cent since 1970. The report cites climate change as one of several threats, as severe weather limits insect availability.
Similarly, according to Lauren Meads, director of the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society of B.C., extreme weather events linked to climate change have affected habitat where captive rehabilitated burrowing owls are released, affecting their ability to return to breeding grounds the following year.
For those working to help species recover, addressing the primary cause of decline is key. Although climate disruption is exacerbating the plight of many species, the polar bear and its Arctic neighbours stand (or swim or fly) alone to some extent. The primary cause of decline for most at-risk species in Canada is habitat loss and degradation.
Some industries are trying to use the ever-evolving climate crisis to stall habitat protection and recovery. When the forestry industry called for a delay in much-needed recovery measures, citing the need to explore climate change impacts on caribou populations, some leading caribou scientists wrote, "There is little evidence to suggest that climate change brought caribou populations to their current threatened condition, nor does climate change explain the rapid rates of decline and range recession that are continuing today in many locations."
The ecological emergency driving species imperilment and the climate crisis can't be entirely conflated.
Although they intersect, the ecological emergency driving species imperilment and the climate crisis can't be entirely conflated. The extinction crisis is caused by a lack of sufficient limits to development, agricultural and resource-extraction activities. The climate crisis is cause by a lack of sufficient limits to greenhouse gases we release into the atmosphere.
That isn't to say that there isn't significant overlap, in causes and solutions.
A Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society report says, "Human activity, including industrial farming, logging, mining, hydro-electric development, and oil and gas exploration, have caused these twin ecological crises, which are closely interrelated." Finding Common Ground finds, "Reducing human-driven land use change in Canada's ecosystems, especially wetlands, offers a potential treasure trove of emission reductions with significant biodiversity benefits."
This is especially true in Alberta and northeastern B.C., where oil and gas development have devastated caribou habitat and imperilled wildlife and the Indigenous communities that depend on it. Industrial activity has disturbed 96 per cent of the Little Smoky caribou range and 70 to 80 per cent of the Chinchaga, West Side Athabasca River, East Side Athabasca River, Cold Lake, Nipisi and Slave Lake boreal caribou ranges.
These high disturbance levels reduce caribou populations' chances of persistence to less than 20 per cent. To increase their chances, significant changes are needed to contain the logging and oil and gas footprint and initiate aggressive restoration.
Protecting habitat such as the boreal forest, rich with peatlands, would also serve as a means of sequestering carbon.
Protecting habitat such as the boreal forest, rich with peatlands, would also serve as a means of sequestering carbon.
Wildlife decline isn't just an ecological issue. In B.C.'s Peace River Valley, more than three-quarters of Blueberry River First Nations traditional territory is within a few minutes' walk of industrial disturbance. In May 2019, Blueberry took the province to court, arguing that the cumulative impacts of industrial activities -- primarily oil and gas -- have significantly affected the lands and wildlife within their traditional territory and, accordingly, their treaty rights to hunt and fish.
Although there are different ways to mend and mitigate the two crises, the root causes -- avoiding our duties to repair what we have fractured, neglecting to set limits to human activities, stalling direly needed actions -- are the same, as are the broad solutions: recognizing our impacts on the planet, taking responsibility for them and coming together to take immediate, meaningful action. As the CPAWS report says, protecting and restoring forests, peatlands, grasslands and wetlands can advance biodiversity and climate goals.
As daunting as both crises are, we can't look away. We must face them and change course.
All living things depend on a stable climate and functioning ecosystems. Our planet is the only one with badgers and dragonflies -- and chocolate! It's worth fighting for.
For other species, climate impacts are not as direct. The 2019 State of Canada's Birds report found aerial insectivores like swifts, swallows and nightjars have declined by 59 per cent since 1970. The report cites climate change as one of several threats, as severe weather limits insect availability.
Similarly, according to Lauren Meads, director of the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society of B.C., extreme weather events linked to climate change have affected habitat where captive rehabilitated burrowing owls are released, affecting their ability to return to breeding grounds the following year.
For those working to help species recover, addressing the primary cause of decline is key. Although climate disruption is exacerbating the plight of many species, the polar bear and its Arctic neighbours stand (or swim or fly) alone to some extent. The primary cause of decline for most at-risk species in Canada is habitat loss and degradation.
Some industries are trying to use the ever-evolving climate crisis to stall habitat protection and recovery. When the forestry industry called for a delay in much-needed recovery measures, citing the need to explore climate change impacts on caribou populations, some leading caribou scientists wrote, "There is little evidence to suggest that climate change brought caribou populations to their current threatened condition, nor does climate change explain the rapid rates of decline and range recession that are continuing today in many locations."
The ecological emergency driving species imperilment and the climate crisis can't be entirely conflated.
Although they intersect, the ecological emergency driving species imperilment and the climate crisis can't be entirely conflated. The extinction crisis is caused by a lack of sufficient limits to development, agricultural and resource-extraction activities. The climate crisis is cause by a lack of sufficient limits to greenhouse gases we release into the atmosphere.
That isn't to say that there isn't significant overlap, in causes and solutions.
A Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society report says, "Human activity, including industrial farming, logging, mining, hydro-electric development, and oil and gas exploration, have caused these twin ecological crises, which are closely interrelated." Finding Common Ground finds, "Reducing human-driven land use change in Canada's ecosystems, especially wetlands, offers a potential treasure trove of emission reductions with significant biodiversity benefits."
This is especially true in Alberta and northeastern B.C., where oil and gas development have devastated caribou habitat and imperilled wildlife and the Indigenous communities that depend on it. Industrial activity has disturbed 96 per cent of the Little Smoky caribou range and 70 to 80 per cent of the Chinchaga, West Side Athabasca River, East Side Athabasca River, Cold Lake, Nipisi and Slave Lake boreal caribou ranges.
These high disturbance levels reduce caribou populations' chances of persistence to less than 20 per cent. To increase their chances, significant changes are needed to contain the logging and oil and gas footprint and initiate aggressive restoration.
Protecting habitat such as the boreal forest, rich with peatlands, would also serve as a means of sequestering carbon.
Protecting habitat such as the boreal forest, rich with peatlands, would also serve as a means of sequestering carbon.
Wildlife decline isn't just an ecological issue. In B.C.'s Peace River Valley, more than three-quarters of Blueberry River First Nations traditional territory is within a few minutes' walk of industrial disturbance. In May 2019, Blueberry took the province to court, arguing that the cumulative impacts of industrial activities -- primarily oil and gas -- have significantly affected the lands and wildlife within their traditional territory and, accordingly, their treaty rights to hunt and fish.
Although there are different ways to mend and mitigate the two crises, the root causes -- avoiding our duties to repair what we have fractured, neglecting to set limits to human activities, stalling direly needed actions -- are the same, as are the broad solutions: recognizing our impacts on the planet, taking responsibility for them and coming together to take immediate, meaningful action. As the CPAWS report says, protecting and restoring forests, peatlands, grasslands and wetlands can advance biodiversity and climate goals.
As daunting as both crises are, we can't look away. We must face them and change course.
All living things depend on a stable climate and functioning ecosystems. Our planet is the only one with badgers and dragonflies -- and chocolate! It's worth fighting for.