How Can Climate Change Affect Animals

A polar bear stands on an ice floe near Manitoba, Canada, in 2012. Polar bears depend on sea ice, which is forming later in the fall and disappearing earlier in the spring.

Climate change is doing widespread and consequential harm to animals and plants, which are struggling to adapt to new conditions, according to a major report released Monday.

The report, from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), finds that many life-forms are moving north or into deeper waters to survive as their habitats shift.

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They're also being forced to change their behaviors. For instance, many birds are nesting, breeding, and migrating earlier as spring arrives sooner than before. (Related: Ten U.S. Species Feeling Global Warming's Heat.)

Evidence of climate change impacts is strongest and most comprehensive for natural systems, the report said. (See: New Climate Change Report Warns of Dire Consequences.)

Current research suggests that winners in this transformation will be adaptable species that are expanding their ranges, including many weeds and pests, and also cold-sensitive, invasive species like the Burmese python in Florida, said Peter Alpert, a program director in environmental biology at the U.S. National Science Foundation in Arlington, Virginia.

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The losers, Alpert said, will likely be the species that are highly specialized in what they eat or where they live, especially those whose habitats disappear completely.

That might include species such as koalas, which depend mainly on eucalyptus for survival, and the many animal and plant species that live only on isolated mountaintops.

You have to hope that they can change fast enough to keep up with it, he said. Species have experienced swings like this in the past, but [the changes] have probably taken a thousand times longer.

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Bob Scholes and Hans-Otto Pörtner, both IPCC authors who contributed to the report's ecosystems chapters, agreed, in a joint statement to National Geographic, that the current human-made climate change is happening much faster than in the past. (See a map of global warming's effects.)

Scholes, a systems ecologist at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria, South Africa, and Pörtner, an animal physiologist and marine biologist based at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven, Germany, highlighted six species that are already in decline due to climate change:

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To spare many thousands of species, not only do we need to radically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but we also have to do it soon, they said.

Potential climate change solutions include making vehicles, homes, and buildings more energy efficient and increasing wind and solar power, hydrogen produced from renewable sources, and other alternative energies.

Meanwhile, the world can greatly assist by reducing the other pressures facing species, principally habitat loss, overharvesting, and pollution; and by ensuring that species have unimpeded pathways for movement.

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Much of the archipelago’s undersea splendor is protected, but some areas are being stressed by climate change and harmed by destructive fishing practices.Plants and animals live in specific climates to survive and meet their needs, such as foods they eat, water and shelter. Slight changes in climate may cause them to adapt, but they can still thrive. Climate change, though, has caused significant changes to plant and animal s. These changes can affect the ecosystem as a whole, as researchers and scientists have already witnessed.

How does climate change affect plants and animals anyways? Already, some plant and animal populations have drastically decreased due to climate change. Other effects may be less significant at the moment but could lead to endangerment or extinction.

Below are some of the impacts that rising temperatures, changed precipitation patterns and sea-level fluctuations have made on plant and animal species.

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Climate is not weather, but it is the usual weather conditions one can expect at a particular time during the year. Weather is supposed to change every day, but the climate is supposed to stay consistent throughout the seasons, and it varies between locations.

Years of research and documentation of climate patterns in an area show what a region can expect weather-wise. However, the climate is changing, meaning temperatures are not typical, weather patterns change, and water levels may rise or fall.

Earth’s climate is continually changing, but the rate at which it has experienced change lately has been faster than before. The earth is no doubt getting warmer. Over the past century, the planet has warmed by about 1 degree Fahrenheit. That’s a slight change, but it has had tremendous effects on humans, plants and animals.

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Many factors have contributed to climate change, such as increased use of fossil fuels, agriculture, volcanic eruptions and others. Because of human activity and natural causes, plants and animals have deteriorated. Here are some ways climate change has affected plants and animals throughout the globe.

One of the most significant impacts of climate change on plants and animals is that it destroys habitats. As the earth’s temperature continues to rise, animals and plants that live and grow in colder climates are struggling to survive and might not find a suitable habitat.

Additionally, heavier rainy seasons, extended droughts or unpredictable snowfall in regions that aren’t used to that precipitation may cause animal and plant habitat destruction. Plants may freeze or shrivel up, and animals may have difficulty staying warm or finding enough food or water.

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Migration is a direct result of habitat destruction due to climate change. For example, many of the Arctic icebergs and snowier regions are melting because of the rising temperatures. Additionally, sea levels are rising in this region as well. This has caused polar bears to seek cooler climates and higher altitudes.

For other species in warmer climates, they may experience periods of drought. They have to move elsewhere to find significant water and fresh plants to eat. Every plant and animal species plays a role in the ecosystem, so when climate change causes them to move, the entire ecosystem suffers.

Plants require nutrient-rich soil to grow and survive. Climate change, partially caused by emissions, depletes soil sources. It reduces the soil’s integrity, which means the plant roots can’t hold, causing plants to die.

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Plus, droughts may occur, which leads to erosion, wiping away plants as well. Any time the soil cannot rebuild itself, eventually, regions could become like deserts, called desertification, which will cause animals to migrate to find more secure sources of food and water.

So how does climate change affect plants and animals? Climate change can drastically alter plant and animal life cycles. Because of climate change, the seasons are shifting. Spring or summer seems to be beginning one to two days earlier. The plants start blooming sooner than usual, and they’re lasting farther into the fall.

Also, animals that hibernate are getting out of their hibernation earlier. Birds are flying further north as temperatures change. Fish are starting to migrate earlier to spawn. All of these climate change outcomes can make survival more difficult, especially for young plants and animals as they try to navigate the climate.

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Starting from an early age, Jane Marsh loved all animals and became a budding alist. Now, Jane works as the Editor-in-Chief of where she covers topics related to climate policy, renewable energy, the food industry, and more.

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