National Audubon Society on global warming

http://www.audubonaction.org/site/MessageViewer?dlv_id=57105&pgwrap=n&printer_friendly=1&em_id=45466.3


Most DUers know how Marta and I feel about birds.



Dear Friend,

I hope you will forgive me for being the bearer of bad news.

America’s birds are headed for serious trouble — more serious than you might imagine.

But this is not a call to worry. It’s a call to act.

Just today, we released the results of a seven-year scientific study of the potential impact of global warming on North American birds. Based on four decades of bird census data, here is what we found:

314 species of North American birds — nearly half of all species — could be severely affected by global warming in the coming years at the current pace of warming. The science shows that these birds could lose half or more of their livable ranges by the year 2080 if nothing is done to stop global warming.

Many of those severely threatened are birds like the Rufous Hummingbird or the Baltimore Oriole that we see every day, or love and cherish.

Some, like the Trumpeter Swan, Brown-headed Nuthatch, and American Avocet, could lose more than 99 percent of their livable range — which puts them at extreme risk for extinction.

The science also pinpoints potential “climate strongholds,” key places that will continue to support bird life in the coming decades and which merit urgent protection.

FULL info at link.