Climate Change and the Domino Effect of Altered Ecosystems

A recent article in the Pacific Standard reports on a study by Nature that examines how the world’s mountainous regions are warming twice as fast as other regions. This warming impacts the chemistry of soil and creates a domino effect through these regions’ ecosystems. Certain plants will be able to grow at higher altitudes, while displacing others and effecting the animals that rely on the current ecosystems. This in turn effects pollination and ultimately agriculture and food supplies.  This dramatic warming is fairly universal- from the mountains in Japan-to British Columbia and Europe. The effects of global warming are entwined and will impact not only the environment, but humanitarian issues as well stemming from food supply and agriculture.