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Article: Living in the Hothouse: impacts of climate change on the natural environment: in this extract from his new book, Living in the Hothouse, ACF President Ian Lowe explains how climate change affects the natural environment and why we all should be concerned.(Excerpt)
- Article from:
- Habitat Australia
- Article date:
- June 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Australian Conservation Foundation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE SORTS OF CLIMATE CHANGES now expected will not just impact on humans. There will be significant effects on the natural environment. In the complex eco-systems which we share with a bewildering diversity of other species, many have adapted to very precise climatic conditions. Not only will identifiable individual species be at risk from climate change, but the balance of some ecosystems will change substantially.
The balance of natural systems will be affected by changes in temperature and rainfall patterns, as well as by the frequency of such extreme events as floods, droughts, and bushfires. Marine and coastal systems will be altered by changing water ...