Ecosystem Impacts

With global warming on the increase and species’ habitats on the decrease, the chances for various ecosystems to adapt naturally are diminishing.
Many studies have pointed out that the rates of extinction of animal and plant species, and the temperature changes around the world since the industrial revolution, have been significantly different to normal expectations.
An analysis of population trends, climate change, increasing pollution and emerging diseases found that 40 percent of deaths in the world could be attributed to environmental factors.
Jaan Suurkula, M.D. and chairman of Physicians and Scientists for Responsible Application of Science and Technology (PSRAST), paints a dire picture, but notes that he is only citing observations and conclusions from established experts and institutions. Those observations and conclusions note that global warming will lead to the following situations, amongst others:
Rapid global heating according to a US National Academy of Science warning;
Dramatic increase in greenhouse gas emissions;
Ozone loss aggravated by global warming;
Ozone loss likely to aggravate global warming;
Warming of the oceans leads to increased green house gasses;
Permafrost thawing will aggravate global warming;
Oceanic changes observed that may aggravate the situation;
A vicious circle whereby each problem will exacerbate other problems which will feedback into each other;
Massive extinction of species will aggravate the environmental crisis;
Sudden collapse of biological and ecological systems may occur, but will have a very slow recovery;
While effective measures can decrease global warming and other problems the World community has repeatedly failed to establish cooperation.
The “vicious circle” Suurkula refers to is worth expanding. In his own words, but slightly reformatted:
The ongoing accumulation of greenhouse gasses causes increasing global warming.
This causes a more extensive destruction of ozone in the polar regions because of accentuated stratospheric cooling.
An increase of ozone destruction increases the UV-radiation that, combined with higher ocean temperature, causes a reduction of the gigantic carbon dioxide trapping mechanism of the oceanic phytoplankton biomass;
This accentuates the warming process.
When the warming has reached a certain level, it will release huge amounts of greenhouse gasses trapped in the permafrost.
This will enhance the global warming, and the polar destruction of ozone, and so on.
The observed decrease of the thermohaline circulation [the various streams that transport warm and cold waters around the world and therefore has an important stabilizing effect on world climate] further aggravates the situation.
This is a global self-reinforcing vicious circle accelerating the global warming.