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Climate Change and BiodiversityThe accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere may lead to the alteration of long-term weather patterns, including more intense heat and cold in certain locations, and more extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and ice storms. Climate change models predict that changes in temperature and precipitation patterns and cycles will occur at unprecedented rates. Because moisture and temperature are fundamental to the way organisms and ecosystems develop, climate change impacts might be the single greatest threat to biodiversity. Animals, plants, fungi, and birds will all be affected. Groups of interdependent species will not simply move north or south to adjust to changing climactic patterns. Scientists estimate that global warming has the potential to severely alter 35 per cent of the world’s existing terrestrial habitat. Climate change may cause local species loss as high as 20 per cent in the most vulnerable arctic and montane habitats, as it reduces the size of these specialized habitat patches and fragments. While some might surmise that Canada’s northern location provides protection against rising global temperatures, in fact the north has some of the most vulnerable and sensitive ecosystems, including the boreal forest and arctic islands.
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