Defenders Magazine

Defenders View: Global Warming, Our Legacy to Future Generations?

Edward O. Wilson, the noted Harvard entomologist (and member of Defenders' Scientific Advisory Committee), has written that the loss of biological diversity "is the folly our descendants are least likely to forgive us." Unfortunately, we now have to add another unforgivable sin we are committing toward our children and grandchildren: global warming.

Like the loss of species, global warming results primarily from human activity. When we drive gas-guzzling cars, burn coal to generate electricity and cut trees for yet another shopping center, the result is even more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. There they accumulate and trap heat, warming--and harming--the planet and a very large percentage of its human and nonhuman populations. Scientists estimate that the Earth's temperature has increased by one degree Fahrenheit since the start of the Industrial Revolution and, if current trends continue, will rise by anywhere from two to 10 degrees during the next century.

Such a temperature rise may not sound like much, but the results would be catastrophic. Warmer temperatures dramatically change the world's weather patterns, leading to more severe storms with devastating impacts, like that of Hurricane Katrina last year. The number and types of plants and animals found today would change significantly, with many species actually becoming extinct. Adverse effects from invasive species and exotic diseases, such as avian flu, would be increasingly more pronounced. Melting glaciers would result in a sea level rise of from four inches to three feet, and--if the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica also melt--sea levels could rise by an incredible 20 feet. Of course most of our coastal areas would then be under water.

While the National Academy of Sciences has confirmed that the last few decades of the 20th century was the warmest period in 400 years, some prominent politicians and others continue to argue that global warming is not occurring and therefore that we do not need to do anything about it. The Bush administration and congressional cheerleaders for the fossil fuel industry continue to push for more oil development--in the Arctic refuge, our oceans and elsewhere--and to promote taxpayer subsidies to help pay for it. Fortunately, through the courageous efforts of people like former Vice President Al Gore--whose remarkable film, An Inconvenient Truth, has been seen by millions--and former network anchorman Tom Brokaw, who has made a similar documentary, Americans are awakening to the growing threat. Even televangelist Pat Robertson, who once described global warming as a far-left creation, recently announced that he is a "convert" to the reality of global warming! To help deal with the problem, Defenders is expanding our work educating the public about global warming and how to address its causes and reduce its impacts. This issue of Defenders has a special section on global warming and its consequences to wildlife and wild places. Our annual report on the state of national wildlife refuges, Refuges at Risk, will focus this year on the threat posed by global warming to these special places. And our fall national scientific conference on carnivores will include two major sessions on global warming and carnivores. We also plan to release two major TV public service announcements on global warming.

While the potential impacts of global warming can seem overwhelming, it is a problem we can solve if we muster the personal and political will to do so. An obvious primary goal must be to reduce our burning of fossil fuels through conservation and use of alternative energy sources. Less obvious is the fact that because it is now clear that some further buildup of greenhouse gases will occur in spite of our best efforts, we must begin taking steps to mitigate its harmful impact. For wildlife, which will be under incredible stress, among those steps should be a redoubling of efforts to protect our surviving natural habitat and to link those protected areas so that plants and animals have a chance to move and adapt to rising temperatures.

We cannot avoid all harm from humanity's folly that produced global warming, but by moving decisively to do something about it now, we can still leave a natural legacy for which future generations will thank us rather than curse us.

Rodger Schlickeisen, President

Rodger Schlickeisen is the president of Defenders of Wildlife. To send him an e-mail, write Rodger@Defenders.org.