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:: 7.22.2003 ::
Here's a little tidbit on the effect of global warming on tropical fauna:Warming tropics doom fauna
July 23 2003
Global warming threatens to wipe out almost all animals unique to Australia's wet tropics by the end of the century, a rainforest expert said yesterday.
Stephen Williams, an ecologist at James Cook University, Townsville, said the annual mean temperature was expected to rise by between 1.4 degrees and 5.8 degrees by 2100.
If it rose by 5.8 degrees only about three of the 65 rainforest animals unique to the North Queensland wet tropics would remain, Dr Williams said.
A rise of 3.5 degrees would leave 30 species extinct and the rest threatened. A seven-degree rise would wipe them all out.
Dr Williams said even a rise of just one degree, likely over the next 20 to 30 years, would see off one species and leave another 20 highly endangered. But hey, what does this guy know, right? He's only a scientist.
:: Deb 5:02 PM :: permalink ::
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