Climate change has emerged as a more urgent issue than ever, especially considering the Trump administration’s moves to roll back Environmental Protection Agency guidelines on carbon emissions, including from coal-fueled power plants.
Animals such as koalas, sea turtles, and polar bears find themselves at the heart of the crisis, and those three are just a start. Some reports say that by the middle of the century, a third of the world’s animal species will become extinct if humans continue to release harmful greenhouse gases at the current rate.
Some animals are able to adapt to alterations in temperature and weather, but others can survive or feed only in certain climates. Take the polar bear, which depends on sea ice for hunting and mating. Scientists note that climate change is causing sea ice to disappear at an alarming rate, threatening the polar bear’s survival.
Organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund are taking measures to protect these endangered and vulnerable species, but they can do only so much. Take a look at these animals that fall into the categories of vulnerable, endangered, and critically endangered due to climate change.
