Before getting into the things that will be extinct for future generations it is important to know about the effect of the rise in sea level (even by only 7 or 8 inches).
This is important because those things that will be extinct in a few years or decades are somehow related to the rise in sea level which is again related to the warming temperature of the earth.
What effect would the rise in the sea level have?
An increase in the sea level by 8 inches would not just vertically dip your phone, it can pretty much sink an island or take an entire city under the sea.
The rate at which the sea level is rising is increasing very fast. Besides the sinking of cities, there are other alarming havocs as well that climate change is going to create.
Much of the blame should go to countries that mass manufacture goods and runs huge industrial activities. Also the massive network of transportation in these countries contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions.
These activities with others combined will deprive our children of a lot of things that we currently feel privileged to enjoy. Let us check what current things will be extinct for future generations.
1. Snow-Capped Mountains and Glaciers
The temperature in the high-altitude regions is increasing with time. With the rise in temperature, the glaciers are melting. Over the years it has been observed that the glacial ice is changing into lakes.
The white snow-capped mountains are slowly turning into gigantic black boulders. The entire Himalayan range is losing its snow and the melting glaciers are considered a major threat to the locals living nearby.
2. Rainforests
Tropical rainforests like Amazon cannot stay untouched amid the global rise in temperature.
Studies suggest that by the year 2050, the temperature will increase by around 3 degrees Celsius resulting in severe drought. Drought, however, is not the end result of climate change. The dryness of the forest leads to widespread fires destroying the diverse wildlife and thus the ecosystem.
Furthermore, the decrease in annual rainfall and drying of cultivable lands will result in a decrease in the production of various food staples.
3. Rivers and Lakes
Rivers are the major source of water for households and agriculture all over the world. Rivers are drying out and severely impacting the livelihood of the local ecosystem because of inadequate rainfall and drought.
This heartbreaking image is from California, the USA where Orville lake is badly hit by severe drought. In the span of just 3 years (2011 to 2014), the amount of water in the lake has dramatically decreased.
4. Polar Icecaps
The future generations will probably just read and watch the documentaries about the north and the south poles.
The poles are supposed to be full of ice year-round. But the depletion of ice sheets in the polar region is threatening the lives of animals like polar bears and reindeer. Animals in the polar regions are running out of food.
5. Polar Bears
How would they live with no polar ice sheets and no food for them? Check out the images on this post from National Geographic which show how painful time the polar bears are made to face by humans.
With the current deteriorating rate of global warming, it’s almost certain that these creatures will be long gone before the future generations of humans arrive.
6. Risky Cities
Dhaka, Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila, etc are at high risk of getting flooded every now and then with heavy rainfall with the rising sea level knocking on the door.
If global warming is not taken care of, we will surely lose most of the coastal cities around the world. The increasing rate of groundwater extraction in major cities is also making the land sink.
