Climate Change and Animals

Every time you think you might be affected by the world around you changing due to global warming, remember, you are not alone. In fact, we share our world with animals and you can bet they feel it too. I felt that this summer when I knew Canada was suffering from endless wild fires. Where did the animals go?

All living things rely on energy including insects, plants, animals and humans. We get our energy from food. The plants get it from sunshine and so forth. Since all matter will be altered by temperature changes and terrain alterations, not to mention weather patterns that control our ability to handle heat and actual production of food, we are all going to be forever changed.

When the environment changes, an animal loses the capability to use the senses in the same way. If they cannot properly read the environment, they cannot cool off or find the right food. It will also affect their abilities to be selective about mates.

Those chemical sensitivities will be thrown off as our environment changes. Temperature affects chemical sensitivity. Since animals also look to cues like longer days of daylight and the emergence of new life, green living plants, they will not be getting those same indications and could lose their ability to survive by following instinctive behaviour.

However, unlike us, animals will adapt to a point in order to keep the species going which is their prime directive. The question remains will they have enough time to evolve accordingly? My feeling is we should be watching them to see what is coming since they rely on their senses more than we do. We might learn something.