Global Warming and Biodiversity

Deforestation and burning fossil fuels increase the concentration of greenhouse gases — mainly CO₂ and methane — in the atmosphere. These gases trap outgoing infrared radiation from Earth's surface, causing the planet to warm. This is the greenhouse effect.

The consequences for biodiversity include:

• Habitat loss — rising sea levels flood coastal habitats; melting ice destroys polar ecosystems
• Species migration — species shift their ranges toward the poles or to higher altitudes as temperatures rise; those that cannot migrate fast enough face extinction
• Disrupted food webs — if one species in a food web is disrupted by climate change (e.g., a plant flowering earlier, a bird arriving late from migration), the knock-on effects spread through the entire community
• Food production changes — altered rainfall and temperature patterns affect crop yields, putting pressure on humans to farm more land, further reducing natural habitats
• Ocean acidification — oceans absorb excess CO₂, making them more acidic; this damages coral reefs and shell-forming organisms, devastating marine biodiversity