Climate Crisis AM Edition 02.01.24 A Threat To elephants

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Older elephants are endangered because of climate change. In a paper titled “Dynamic modeling of African elephant populations under changing climate and habitat loss across the Greater Virunga Landscape,” the authors pointed out that much of the African elephant population has been threatened by climate change. This involves what they describe as “habitat, water, and climate.” Forest and wetlands are shrinking. The study looked at these factors and changes in population size over the last 100 years. The elephant population in the area studied peaked in the 1960s. Among the conclusions of the study …” climate change affected the old elephants more than the young ones regarding survival abilities…” The solution? Reverse some of the effects of climate change in the area studied. The results point to a larger, overwhelming trend. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 10,967 species are on its Red List of Threatened Species”. Each of these, the organization says, could disappear due primarily to the world’s climate crisis.

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Colorado State released a new study of the effects of climate change on temperature. It states that temperatures in the state, on average, have risen by 2.9 degrees F since 1895. The trend has increased rapidly more recently. Temperatures, on average, have risen by 2.3 degrees F since 1980. The data was used to explain why state temperatures have moved above 60 degrees F so often in the Winter.

Mountain Snow Melting

The melting of snowpacks in the Northern Hemisphere can be primarily attributed to climate change. The drop in snowpack size has affected the supply of water in the mountain areas of the Western US. Nature published a paper in which the authors point out that the trend has hit at least 82 of 169 Northern Hemisphere river basins. They attribute at least 31 to human-driven changes in the climate. Their conclusion is,” Together, our findings portend serious water-availability challenges in basins where snowmelt runoff constitutes a major component of the water supply portfolio.” The results are nothing more than a confirmation of evaluations of many other scientists, particularly in the US. Lower amounts of snow cause a drop in water availability, particularly in areas plagued by drought.

A jump in cholera cases in Africa has been caused by climate change. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention came to this conclusion. Floods, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, have lowered access to clean water. According to Time, Jean Kaseya, director general of Addis Ababa-based Africa CDC, said, “Cholera in Africa is a climate change issue.”