Climate Change

Changes in climate and season can disrupt migrations, reproduction, and ability to find food or water. Warmer temperatures can be impossible for some species to survive, or may make all their offspring one gender, making mating in future years much harder. In aquatic ecosystems, hot water can't hold enough oxygen causing mass suffocation of species who can't escape these areas.

Climate change is primarily caused by our emissions which you can learn more about in our Transit & Energy related pages. Habitat changes also have an impact, with deforestation, desertification, urbanization (which causes "heat islands"), and changing from pale vegetation to dark monocrop plantations can also increase surface temperatures.

Click the graph to learn about which sectors create the most anthropomorphic greenhouse gasses, or click the buttons to learn about what we can do to combat emissions. 

Biomes & Rewilding

To learn more about rewilding efforts click any of the following buttons to see what's being done to help specific species or ecosystems.

International

Indicator Species

Indicator species are delicate creatures including frogs, fish, insects, etc. who are particularly sensitive to habitat disruption, climate change, and various types of pollution. Their presence or absence from an environment give us vital data about the health of the overall ecosystem.

Fireflies are highly sensitive to light pollution, pesticides, and habitat disruption. The simple acts of providing an undisturbed leaf pile, darkness, and refraining from pesticide use can help these enchanting creatures return. They eat slugs and snails, while providing food to birds, bats, other beneficial insects, and more.

Pollinators such as Monarch Butterflies are particularly susceptible to pesticides, which can be an especially problematic for migratory species passing through areas with looser pesticide laws.

Invasive Species 

These are species that have been moved or escaped into ecosystems where they don't belong. They can cause millions in financial loss to farmers, and other part of our society, but even worse is that they can undermine biomes, and even public safety.

Click the Invasive Species button to learn what can be done about invasives and how to identify them. Scroll down on the pages to see our growing directory of resources including apps and encyclopedias of invasive species.

Tools & Apps

• Bee Score: Flower Finder "Select the flowers you have in your garden, then hit continue to find out your current bee kind score. If you’re not sure exactly which plants you have, try clicking the filters on and off to help identify the bee-friendly flowers in your garden." This is hosted by and for UK residents, so you won't get a bonus for "native species" if you live outside the UK, and might see your local natives listed as "non-native" or get an "invasive penalty" even if those plants are fine where you live, but this is still a fun and educational resource.

Africa

Namibia

• Atlasing in Namibia "Citizen science projects recording biodiversity and cultural heritage in Namibia"

Europe

Wild Mammals Are Making a Comeback in Europe Thanks to Conservation Efforts 

"Hunting and habitat loss drove many large mammals in Europe close to extinction. New data shows us that many of the continent’s mammal populations are flourishing again."

"In short, stopping the activities that were killing mammals off in the first place. Effective protection against hunting, overexploitation, and the destruction of habitats have been key.

Agricultural land use has declined across Europe over the last 50 years. This allowed natural habitats to return where agriculture had previously taken them over.

Another essential development was to stop hunting them. Countries brought in effective protection policies such as complete bans on hunting or hunting quotas; designated areas with legal protections; patrols to catch illegal poachers; and compensation schemes for the reproduction of certain species."

Organizations

South America

• Amazon Watch "is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1996 to protect the rainforest and advance the rights of Indigenous peoples in the Amazon Basin. We partner with Indigenous and environmental organizations in campaigns for human rights, corporate accountability, and the preservation of the Amazon's ecological systems."