The increase in temperatures is slowly causing a drastic change in the vegetation pattern all over the world. Colder regions, which are greatly dependent on their temperatures, feel the effect of the rising temperatures greatly. Other regions that experience distinct seasons too, are facing changes in plant and vegetation as the seasons begin to alter.
The change in vegetation has an immediate effect on the wildlife that exists in the region. Migration is becoming a matter of survival more than a habit for species that require cooler temperatures and the vegetation that is part of the cooler region. However, development and other obstacles limit the extent of the migration, putting wildlife at great risk. Additionally, the pace of change may be too rapid for many plant and animal species to be able to adjust.
In such scenarios, wildlife is standing at the brink of extinction with experts predicting that, if such warming trends are to continue, one fourth of the species of the world may be extinct by the year 2050. There have been many recorded instances of wildlife suffering due to climate change. These include:
- the death of the last Golden Toad in 1999 in Central America
- bleaching to coral reefs as a result of increased sea temperatures that cause the death of the algae, on which the health and survival of coral reefs is dependent
- many regions, especially those in the United States, are losing their national birds and animals to permanent migration