Question

A Case Study of Climate Change vs. Human Activity A case study by Sindya N. Bhango suggested that human activity has had at least as much effect as climate change on the survival of animals on the Bahamian island of Abaco. Researchers looked at 10,000-year-old fossils found in an underwater cave on Abaco. They compared them with fossils from the island that date to 1,000 to 3,000 years ago, along with data from current vertebrate populations. The scientists found that during the last ice age, about 10,000 years ago, some 17 bird species went extinct on Abaco because of a warming, wetter climate and rising sea levels. "All of these birds were open country birds that preferred grassy, dry, cool climates," said David Steadman, the curator of ornithology at the Florida Museum of Natural History and one of the study's authors. At that time, there were no humans on the island. About 1,000 years ago, the first humans arrived and about 22 species became extinct. The latter species were far more diverse, compared with those that became extinct at the end of the last ice age, and included a tortoise, a crocodile, bats, and little and big birds. The study offers a sobering message about the extent of human impact, Dr. Steadman said. "The species that were lost in the last 1,000 years were resilient to natural changes," he said. "The could handle the climate getting warmer and wetter, but they couldn't handle it when humans showed up. hatuna'chances

Answer 1

The given case study excerpt clearly shows how climate change and human interference both can cause extinction of animal and bird scpecies over a period of time.

1. As discovered by scientists, 10,000 yeard old fossils have shown the presence of bird species, in Abaco. But probably due to climate change, these became extinct. There were loss of 17 bird species which had limited adaptation capabilities and could not cope up with the changing weather.

2. The comparison of fossils of 10,000 years and 1000 years old have shown that there are difference in species which existed in each of these era. Since human inhabitation started 1000 years ago in the island of Abaco, almost 22 species became exinct which included birds, tortoise, crocodile, bats. It can be proved that due to human exploitation these species died, because these had better and evolved capabilities to survive harsh climate.

3. Climate change occurence can be proved from the fact that the mean recorded temperature has been increasing and the weather conditions are more humid than before. Also the fact that the sea level is rising indicates the melting of glaciers and is a direct effect of global warming.