Many animal and plant species have adapted to the rise of industial humanity by adapting traits to combat human presence and pollution. The example of the Peppered Moth is often given by evolutionary scientists. So I predict that animals and plants will fair better than we might expect in the coming climate change through their ability to adapt. At the same time, of course, many species may not survive the changes.
However, I have to wonder about how modern humans will adapt to climate change. I believe that our ancestors, if placed in our current predicament, might fair better than modern humanity. Ancient humans seemed to have deeper connection to the Earth in their culture and way of life. But our modern world seems to have lost quite a bit of that connection. How many times have I seen someone throw McDonald's bags out their car window even though they are only a few miles from their house and a garbage can? Or people who throw their cigarette butts on the ground right beside the cigarette disposal bin? Or companies that STILL find ways to illegally dump chemical waste? If so many of us can't be trusted to prevent pollution and take climate change seriously, how can we be trusted to adapt to the changing world we have created?
If climate changes become more severe, crops will not produce as high of yields. Recent studies have showns rises in drought which leads to food and water scarcity. I admit that many politicians worldwide have used the climate change issue to win votes. In doing so, they destroy the credibility of legit scientists who are actually doing something productive. I don't think we are neccesarily facing an "end-of-the-world" scenario, but hopefully it will be an end to laziness and apathy when the effects of climate change become more severe. One thing that has me bothered is all the stories I have been hearing in the news in recent years of tons of fish, whales, and sharks washing up dead on beaches. In each of the stories, I never hear scientists make any conclusive statements as to the cause of death. Is it Fukishima radiation? Underwater volcanoes? Changes in water temperature?
