Animals Most Affected by Climate Change and Threats to Their Survival

Animals most affected by climate change (wirestock-Magnific image)

YOGYAKARTA - Climate change not only increases air temperatures, but also affects rainfall patterns, food availability, sea conditions, and the stability of animal habitats. IUCN notes that climate change has affected at least 15,801 species on the Red List, increasing the risk of extinction.

There is no absolute ranking of animals most affected by climate change because each species faces different forms of pressure. However, animals that depend on ice, certain temperatures, coral reefs, and coastal habitats are among the most vulnerable groups.

Animals Most Affected by Climate Change Polar Bears Losing Hunting Habitat

Polar bears are the best-known symbol of the climate crisis because their lives depend heavily on Arctic sea ice. The ice is used as a place to hunt seals, move, rest, and breed. When the ice melts faster and forms more slowly, polar bears have to swim farther or stay longer on land with limited food sources. The IUCN considers the loss of sea ice habitat due to warming as the greatest threat to the long-term survival of this species.

Emperor Penguins Threatened to Fail to Breed

Emperor penguins are also among the animals most affected by climate change because most of their life cycle depends on Antarctic sea ice. Penguin colonies need a sufficiently stable ice from the egg-laying period until the penguin chicks have waterproof feathers. If the ice breaks too early, the eggs or penguin chicks can fall into the sea before they can survive. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service states that changes in sea ice habitat are the main threat to emperor penguins and are the basis for providing protection for the species.

Arctic Sea Dogs Losing Places to Breed

Several types of Arctic seals use ice and snow layers as resting places, giving birth, nursing, raising children, and changing their fur. The reduction in ice extent and the shortening of the ice existence period can disrupt all of these important stages. NOAA explains that climate change is expected to affect seal populations that depend on ice through reduced duration and availability of habitat. This condition shows that the impact of climate change does not stop at one predator, but can spread throughout the Arctic food chain.

Turtles Face Too Hot Nest Temperatures

Sea turtles face threats on land as well as at sea. Rising sea levels and coastal erosion can reduce nesting sites, while sand temperatures affect the sex of hatchlings. Warmer incubation temperatures can result in a very high proportion of female hatchlings so that the long-term population balance is potentially disrupted. The IUCN reports that on some sea turtle nesting beaches, about 93 percent of newly hatched hatchlings are females. Coral reef and seagrass damage can also reduce turtle feeding areas.

Coral is a Very Vulnerable Animal

Coral is often considered a plant or rock, but coral is a marine animal that lives in colonies. Increases in sea temperatures can trigger coral bleaching when the relationship between the coral and its symbiotic algae is disrupted. If the heat stress lasts a long time, the coral becomes more vulnerable to disease and death. NOAA states that severe coral bleaching has become increasingly widespread, frequent, and intense. Coral damage has a huge impact because reefs provide shelter, breeding, and feeding for a variety of marine organisms.

Amphibians Hard to Adapt to Environmental Changes

Frogs, salamanders, and other amphibians have skin that is sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity. Changes in rainfall patterns can dry out breeding sites, alter reproductive timing, and exacerbate the pressures of disease, pollution, and habitat loss. The IUCN lists amphibians as one of the world's most threatened groups of animals, with climate change being one of the factors affecting their survival. Species living in mountainous or restricted areas face greater risks as their space to move is increasingly narrow.

Why Should Protection Be Done Now?

Discussing the animals most affected by climate change is not just talking about rare animals. The loss of a species can disrupt predator-prey relationships, pollination, marine health, and the functions of ecosystems that support human life. The IPCC confirms that climate change has led to the loss of species locally, an increase in diseases, and mass mortality events in both plants and animals.

Protection can be done through reducing greenhouse gas emissions, preserving natural areas, restoring coral reefs and coasts, reducing waste, and supporting scientific-based conservation programs. The risk of species loss can be suppressed if global temperature increases are successfully limited. Maintaining the animals that are most affected by climate change means maintaining the balance of ecosystems that are the foundation of food, water, coastal protection, and the lives of future generations. In addition, find out also Efforts to Save the Earth in the Middle of Pollution and Climate Change

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