Biodiversity and Global Climate Change

Abstract

The currently increasing levels of the so-called ‘greenhouse’ gasses (e.g. carbon dioxide, methane, chlorofluorocarbons), in the atmosphere could have large impacts on global biochemical cycles and the climate system. This increase results primarily from human industrial and agricultural activities. There is currently a growing scientific consensus that by the year 2050 global temperatures will have risen significantly (Houghton et al., 1990), with many studies predicting warming of a magnitude not observed during human history. Such climatic change could lead to large impacts on individual organisms, communities, natural ecosystems and global biochemical cycles and have potentially grave impacts on biodiversity.