National Audubon Monday released the results of a seven-year scientific study of the potential impact of global warming on North American birds. Based on four decades of bird census data, here is what we found:
- 314 species of North American birds — nearly half of all species — could be severely affected by global warming in the coming years at the current pace of warming. The science shows that these birds could lose half or more of their livable ranges by the year 2080 if nothing is done to stop global warming.
- Many of those severely threatened are birds like the Rufous Hummingbird or the Baltimore Oriole that we see every day, or love and cherish.
- Some, like the Trumpeter Swan, Brown-headed Nuthatch, and American Avocet, could lose more than 99 percent of their livable range — which puts them at extreme risk for extinction.
- The science also pinpoints potential "climate strongholds," key places that will continue to support bird life in the coming decades and which merit urgent protection.
These are conservative estimates based on cutting-edge science and state-of-the-art climate models. The reality could, in fact, be worse.
=====
Raise some hell with Congress. Carbon dioxide isn't the only problem.
