Bats Drop from the Sky
In 2014, a scorching summer heat wave caused more than 100,000 bats to literally drop dead and fall from the sky in Queensland, Australia.Lyme Disease Spreads
Warmer temperatures are contributing to the range expansion and severity of tick-borne Lyme disease.National Security Threatened
The impacts of climate change are expected to act as a "threat multiplier" in many of the world's most unstable regions, exacerbating droughts and other natural disasters as well as leading to food, water and other resource shortages that may spur mass migrations.Sea Level is Rising
Warmer temperatures are causing glaciers and polar ice sheets to melt, increasing the amount of water in the world’s seas and oceans.Allergies Worsen
Allergy sufferers beware: Climate change could cause pollen counts to double in the next 30 years. The warmer temperatures cause advancing weed growth, a bane for allergy sufferers.Beetles Destroy Iconic Western Forests
Climate change has sent tree-killing beetles, called mountain pine beetles, into overdrive. Under normal conditions beetles reproduce just once annually, but the warming climate has allowed them to churn out an extra generation of bugs each year.Canada: The New America?
"Lusher" vegetation growth typically associated with the United States is now becoming more common in Canada, scientists reported in a 2012 Nature Climate Change study.Economic Consequences
The costs associated with climate change rise along with the temperatures. Severe storms and floods combine agricultural losses cause billions of dollars in damages, and money is needed to treat and control the spread of disease.Infectious Diseases Thrive
The World Health Organization reports that outbreaks of new or resurgent diseases are on the rise and in more countries than ever before, including tropical illnesses in once-cold climates.Shrinking Glaciers
In 2013, an iceberg larger than the city of Chicago broke off the Pine Island Glacier, the most important glacier Antarctic Ice Sheet. And in Montana's Glacier National Park, glaciers have gone from 150 to just 35 over the past century.We're at a critical juncture. If nothing is done, our planet and all who inhabit it will face catastrophic consequences.
Source: Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) mailer received March, 2016.
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