A group of scientists from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University of California have definitively shown that carbon dioxide is warming the planet, reports the Seattle Times.
“We have known for decades that there must be an effect, but getting a direct measurement and isolating the carbon dioxide component are a technological coup,” said Christopher Field, a scientist at Stanford University in an email to the Times.
We’ll leave the reporting on this to the Times, who did an excellent job encapsulating the issue and exploring the techniques used by the scientists. But their article does lead us into why this data is important for Canadians and our fur-bearing animals.
Creatures like the Canada lynx and wolverine are at grave risk of declining populations due to climate change. Both depend heavily on specific ecosystems and weather conditions to allow them to hunt, find shelter and successfully procreate. In areas just beyond our borders, such as Montana, there is ongoing debate as to whether or not the Canada lynx should be protected from all hunting and trapping, period. But in Canada, they remain unprotected by legislation, provincially and federally.
The changes in our climate are having serious repercussions for many fur-bearers – and their entire existence may depend on our ability to protect their dwindling habitats as we move into the future. The immediate need for protective legislation not only for the fur-bearers themselves, but for their environments, has never been so dire.
While scientists continue to see the dark future approaching, our politicians all have green eyes from industries like the fur trade, big oil and forestry. The animals need you, every single one of you, to remember them come election day this October. Their lives, and our world, depend on it.
Work like our growing Living With Wildlife campaign is only possible with the support of monthly donors. Please consider become a monthly donor – for as little as $10 a month – and help us create a Canada that co-exists.
