Climate Change Affecting Australia's Wildlife

Across Australia, animals are becoming extinct, seas are warming, and events such as bushfires, storms, and droughts are becoming more dangerous and frequent. People around the world are burning fossil fuels and allowing greenhouse gases to escape into the atmosphere. These gases trap heat, causing the world to become warmer (“Learn”). This is part of a larger problem called climate change. Climate change is affecting people, animals, oceans, and environments all around the world. In Australia, climate change is specifically affecting oceans, wildlife, and severe events. Climate change is affecting Australia's wildlife because animals cannot adapt, habitats are disappearing, and plants are losing nutrition. With temperature and rainfall patterns changing, many species are having a hard time adapting, such as the green ringtail possum. This type of possum lives in the rainforests of Queensland and is having a hard time with the rising temperatures because when the temperature rises above 86* Fahrenheit, it cannot control its body temperature (“Climate”). Another struggling species is the mountain pygmy possum; it

Scientists are predicting that bush fires, storms, cyclones, floods, and droughts will become more frequent and intense. In fact, Sydney was warned that if residents did not cut their water consumption in half in the next 20 years, they could be facing a permanent drought. If climate change isn't brought to attention by 2070, Sydney will have to face consequences. It is predicted that by 2070, if things do not change, nine out of every ten years, Sydney will face a severe drought, the number of bushfires will drastically increase, and freak storm surges will devastate the coast line. There will also be a 40% decrease in rainfall. Heat related deaths are predicted to go from 176 deaths per year, to 1,300 deaths per year