how is biodiversity effected by the excessive use of fossil fuels
Answers
Explanation:
Climate change is perhaps the biggest threat to biodiversity. If the Philippines continues to depend on fossil fuels, it will undoubtedly worsen the conditions of wildlife in the country and, subsequently, our well-being as a society. The entire process of converting fossil fuels to usable energy creates both direct and indirect impacts on biodiversity.
Extraction of fossil fuels through various means such as coal mining, installation of pipelines, and construction of roads leading to the mining site causes direct damage to natural ecosystems.
According to a study by researchers from the University of Queensland, fossil fuel extraction results in noise disturbance, pollution of surrounding air, water, and lands, and destruction of forests and other landscapes that make them unfit for sustaining wildlife populations. The damage may be too drastic for these areas to return to their original states because of factors like invasive species, soil erosion, and illegal hunting.
Burning fossil fuels leads to the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, 93% of which eventually settles into the oceans. This leads to warming of the oceans, which has drastic impacts on marine life. Higher temperatures cause oceanic acidification that result in coral bleaching. This results in large-scale changes in migration and feeding patterns of fishes, turtles, and other aquatic organisms, which in turn has an adverse impact on economic activities that rely on marine resources.
Meanwhile, rapid deforestation rate caused by agriculture and infrastructure development in the Philippines does not only remove an important absorber of carbon dioxide from our atmosphere. It also deprives countless endemic species of birds such as the Philippine eagle of their natural habitat.
The resulting higher temperatures and changed rainfall patterns cause a change in migration patterns, affecting the ability of these species to reproduce. It also forces them to seek new homes in cooler, higher-elevated habitats. Their prey, however, may not relocate as fast, further threatening them to potential extinction.