Climate and ecological emergency

Scientists agree that climate change is not responsible for daily weather.  However, climate change does increase the likelihood of extreme weather events (droughts, floods, heavy snow, storms, etc.). So for example an area which currently floods 1 in 100 years might flood more regularly, potentially 1 in 10 years. These extreme weather events are another factor that challenges our native wildlife.  For species that are already facing challenges with habitat loss and fragmentation, predation or conflict with non-native wildlife and human induced pollution, this could be the final factor that drives them to extinction.

Climate change is a global issue, but already the effects are being felt close to home. In 2019 the UK experienced its hottest week on record, and the 10 hottest years on record have all been since 2002. Rising sea levels are also likely to cause increasingly frequent storms and extreme rainfall events.

It is likely that some, possibly many, species will find it hard to adapt to a changing climate and to the more frequent extreme weather events that climate change will bring. Most species of plant, insect and animal are adapted to thrive in specific habitats and under specific environmental conditions. As climate change causes major variation in these conditions, these species and those that depend on them for food, pollination or shelter are likely to struggle to survive.

A 1 degree temperature rise for humans is a barely noticeable difference, but for some animals this means life or death. Among the most at risk are badgers, water voles, soprano pipistrelle bats and dormice, and the climate can become less suitable for so many other species. Common shrews, great crested newts and even grey squirrels in Warwickshire will be left right on the edge of their suitable climate area; meaning that any further increases in temperature could push them out of the county too.  This is because these species rely on food that is more susceptible to the impact of climate change and the pace at which that food source will decline or even become extinct will leave animals like soprano pipistrelle bats with few alternatives.

As a group, insects are also particularly sensitive.  From pollination to breaking down detritus and from food sources to pest control, insects are vital to maintaining healthy ecosystems. Even when warming is limited to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, 25% of Warwickshire’s insects may be lost from the area. Among the worst affected insects are mayflies and stoneflies; both of which are important food sources for fish.  As insects are the base of the food chain, a decline in their numbers has the potential to impact pretty much every species on the planet.

Aside from the obvious benefits that a healthy natural world provides for our mental and physical wellbeing, we also rely on it for food.  One in three mouthfuls of food we eat are produced as a result of pollination by insects like bees.  If, as a result of climate change the population of pollinating insects crashes or they become extinct it will be harder for us to grow food without further human intervention.  This would lead to increase food costs and the likelihood of more processed food which has been linked to poor diet.  In addition if climate change leads to more extreme weather events happening more frequently there will be increased disruption to our daily lives which increase the cost to people and businesses.  Insurance costs would increase due to the increase in damage caused by extreme weather and we can expect to see transport and communication disruption more regularly than before.   So even if you don’t care about wildlife you should care about the impact of the climate and ecological crisis we are facing as it will impact on you.

Lots of different factors influence the condition of our nature reserves. The impact of climate change on specific nature reserves is also hard to quantify, because there may be some short-term ‘gains’ for certain species and losses for others.

Our nature reserves are likely to remain good places for wildlife to thrive. This is because they are actively managed for wildlife, to create genetically diverse and species-rich habitats which are known to be more resilient to climate change impacts.

However, on their own nature reserves are islands across Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull.  Whilst our nature reserves are managed to be as resilient as possible, climate change has the potential to change wildlife distribution, damage habitats and throw life cycles out of sync.  This means that our nature reserves are more at risk from extreme weather events that could compound those issues and result in local extinctions.

The most effective way to make our nature reserves more resilient is to create bigger, better, more joined up areas that enable wildlife to adapt to changing conditions wherever possible.  We are working collaboratively to create a ‘nature recovery network’ that will map and then implement the enhancement of wild places for the benefit of wildlife and people.

As global temperatures increase across the globe, the temperatures in the UK will be more like the current central/southern Europe temperatures.  In those regions the increase in temperature may lead them to being more like African temperatures.  We will likely see species moving northwards to try and remain within their existing climate conditions.  Researchers from Durham University and the RSPB estimate that European breeding birds will move north by an average of 300 miles. These changes in distribution could have knock-on consequences as species compete for food and shelter.

Our native wildlife has taken hundreds, and in some cases thousands of years to adapt to the conditions here.  One of the threats of climate change is the pace at which the conditions may change.  For some species the change may be too rapid for them to adjust their feeding strategy or nesting time. Wetland birds like redshank and curlew, for example, could decline in number as saltmarshes become inundated with floodwater and wet grasslands dry up during hot summers.

All species (even humans) rely on other species to exist.  Another challenge of climate change is the impact on one species can result in a knock on impact to many others that rely on it.  Think of the natural world as a giant game of jenga. Each piece in the tower is a different species.  If one or two species die out they risk bringing the whole stack tumbling down because of the way in which wildlife interacts.  Changes to the lifecycle of one species can knock another out of balance. For example, blue tit chicks need around 100 caterpillars every day, but if butterflies emerge earlier due to warming temperatures, there may not be enough caterpillars around at the right time for the blue tit chicks to thrive. As this effect ripples through the food web, it could have serious consequences for wildlife.