Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Just one day before the start of the 26^th annual Everglades Coalition conference, Renewal of Life for the Everglades: Moving Forward Together, Defenders and other groups that make up the Endangered Species Coalition have named the Greater Everglades Ecosystem as one of the top 10 places to save in the United States for wildlife, fish and plants on the brink of extinction in a new report.

It’s Getting Hot Out There: Top 10 Places to Save for Endangered Species in a Warming World examines how the changing climate is increasing the risk of extinction for imperiled fish, plants and wildlife, and the importance of protecting key ecosystems.

According to the report, the Greater Everglades region is one place where action to address the impacts of climate change is critical. With projected rises in sea level of three feet or more over the next century, much of the low-lying Everglades ecoregion is at risk of being submerged under water. For iconic Florida species like the panther, whose diminished population already struggles with increased development and habitat loss, such an impact could prove devastating.

Learn more:

Other places to save for endangered species span the country – read the full report here.

Defenders of Wildlife is a cosponsor for the 26th Annual Everglades Coalition Conference. The conference focuses this year on wildlife, wildlife habitat and renewing productive partnerships among the governmental, scientific, private and nonprofit sectors.  Click here to learn more.

Stay tuned for more on Renewal of Life for the Everglades: Moving Forward Together.

Negotiators finally wrapped up an intense two weeks in Cancun, hashing out an international agreement on climate change over the weekend.  I had said that the outcome from this meeting should be building blocks towards a future agreement, should set a goal to limit global warming to 1.5-2°C above preindustrial levels and that ecosystems were a vital part of solving the climate crisis.  The good news: all of these issues were addressed and many are saying this year’s meeting restored confidence in the U.N. process that was ruptured last year in Copenhagen.  The bad news: the world’s response – led by the U.S. – continues to be inadequate to stave off dangerous climate changes ahead.

Building blocks

The negotiations made progress on a number of fronts.  The parties committed to establishing and funding a Green Climate Fund to help developing countries respond to climate change.  The Cancun Agreements also include important provisions for reducing deforestation and degradation (a major global source of greenhouse gas emissions), including safeguards for ecosystem services and biodiversity and the protection of native forests (though these provisions need to be strengthened with transparency and accountability measures).

As the largest historic emitter of greenhouse gas, the U.S. has always been the 800-pound gorilla in these talks.

1.5-2°C

The Cancun Agreements are the first official U.N. documents where the parties agreed to limit global warming to 2°C above preindustrial levels.  In addition, the Agreement calls for further study of the issue with a possible strengthening of the commitment to 1.5°C in future meetings.

Ecosystems

The role of ecosystems in climate change adaptation and in reducing emissions (primarily through forest protections) is recognized, for example by inviting parties to build “resilience of socio-economic and ecological systems, including through economic diversification and sustainable management of natural resources.”

Work left undone

Although monitoring, reporting and transparency of commitments were central themes in the negotiations, there is nothing legally binding about the text.  More troubling for the climate, the existing pledges for emissions reductions from the developed countries falls far short of what is actually needed to limit global warming to 2°C.

As the largest historic emitter of greenhouse gas, the U.S. has always been the 800-pound gorilla in these talks.  (We were only just outpaced by China.)  Without real commitments from the U.S. to reduce our emissions, it is understandable why the rest of the world is reluctant to move forward.

The outlook for comprehensive climate and energy legislation in the U.S. looks bleak – that’s why Defenders is working to uphold the administration’s authority to control greenhouse gas pollution outside of new legislation. With strong U.S. action over the coming year, next year’s international climate talks could garner more action to save the planet.

Learn more:

Read all of Noah’s updates from Cancun.

See how climate change is already impacting wildlife across the United States with our interactive map.

“We are facing at this moment the end of history for some of us…The difference for us between 1.5 and 2 degrees is whether to survive or to collapse.”

Those are the words of Antonio Lima, the small island country of Cape Verde’s ambassador to the United Nations, here at the international climate change negotiations in Cancun.  Cape Verde, along with over 40 other small island countries, will lose much of their nations to the sea as the water levels rise with climate change.

These negotiations are ultimately about nations cooperating to reduce global emissions of greenhouse gases that cause climate change and to address the impacts – but what exactly are the target level of emissions reductions the world is striving for?

No fun in the sun for Noah in Cancun

The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) states that its ultimate goal is to “prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.”  (In layman’s terms, to prevent humans from disrupting normal climate patterns in a potentially dangerous way.) It has been up to negotiators to assign this goal a number.  Last year, the Copenhagen Accord recognized that the “scientific view that the increase in global temperature should be below 2 degrees Celsius.”

It all depends on how you define “dangerous”

According to the latest science, and the impacts to small island states and other vulnerable countries, biodiversity and ecosystems, a 2 degree Celcius increase in global average temperatures is itself dangerous.  The planet has already warmed some 0.8 degrees C since preindustrial times and we are already seeing the huge loss of glaciers and sea ice, massive heat waves, stronger hurricanes, and more frequent and severe floods, droughts and fires.  It’s almost hard to imagine where we are heading.

Without action, we are heading towards a 3, 4, 5 or even 6 degree C increase in global temperatures.  When countries made individual pledges to cut emissions in Copenhagen last year, the U.S. pledged to cut emissions by 17% below 2005 levels.  This pledge, along with pledges from the other signers of the Accord came nowhere close to reaching the target of limiting global warming to 2 more degrees C.

So it’s hard to imagine a global agreement that meets the 2 degree goal – and scientists are even warning that that target is too high. Which brings us back to the statement by Ambassador Lima from Cape Verde, calling for a 1.5 degree world – not a 2 degree world.

If your head doesn’t hurt from the different numbers yet…

For most of human history, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was about 275 parts per million, or ppm.  After 200 years of increasing greenhouse gas pollution, humans have raised that concentration to over 385 ppm.  To limit global warming to 2 degrees C, the concentration needs to be limited below 450 ppm.  To reach the 1.5 degree target – the one scientists suggest is needed to prevent ecological tipping points and catastrophic sea level rise – the concentration needs to drop to 350 ppm.

That actually means the world can’t just slowly ratchet down emissions – we actually have to reduce the concentration in the atmosphere.

A daunting task, but here in Cancun there is momentum to push for the 1.5 degree target.

(That’s it for numbers for now!)

Learn more:

Read more from Noah in Cancun this week!

See how climate change is already impacting wildlife across the United States with our interactive map.