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IMPACT OF GLOBAL WARMING ON BIODIVERSITY
13 October 2005

Global warming on the scale predicted by scientists could have major consequences for Australia's biodiversity. The Australian Academy of Science's new Nova: Science in the news topic, 'Impact of global warming on biodiversity', has the latest information at http://www.science.org.au/nova.

The world is heating up. The average temperature of the Earth's surface increased by an estimated 0.6°C in the 20th century, mostly due to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

To estimate the effect of climate change on species, scientists use what they call a climatic envelope, which is the range of temperatures, rainfall and other climate-related parameters in which a species currently exists.

As the climate warms, the geographic location of climatic envelopes will shift significantly. Plants and animals will need to follow their climatic envelopes by migrating to cooler and moister environments. There is some evidence that this is already occurring.

In many cases, however, such migration might not be possible because of unsuitable soils, physical barriers or competition from species already in an area.

Coupled with other factors, accelerated global warming could mean the extinction of species at an unprecedented rate.

Does it really matter if many species go extinct? How would it affect us?

A diversity of species increases the ability of ecosystems to perform 'ecosystem services' such as holding soils together, maintaining soil fertility, delivering clean water to streams and rivers, cycling nutrients and pollinating plants. A loss of species could reduce this ability, which could mean more land degradation, changes in agricultural productivity and a reduction in the quality of water delivered to human populations.

More information on this topic is available on the Australian Academy of Science's Nova: Science in the news website at http://www.science.org.au/nova. A glossary, student activities, further reading and annotated links to relevant websites are also available.

This topic was supported by the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage (http://www.deh.gov.au). The principal sponsor of Nova: Science in the news is the Commonwealth Bank Foundation (www.commbank.com.au/foundation). The Australian Foundation for Science is also a supporter of Nova.