Wildlife across America are being impacted by global warming, including birds, butterflies, fish and mammals. Among the hardest hit so far are Northern species such as polar bears, caribou and musk ox.

Both polar bears and their main food source, the ringed seal, have suffered significant population declines because of the loss of polar ice. If the warming trend is not reversed, polar bears may soon become extinct.

Polar Bears, Marni Grossman

But the threat to polar bears is only the tip of the iceberg. Global warming is an unprecedented challenge for wildlife, adding a host of new threats such as thawing permafrost, disappearing mountain snow, and the warming of rivers and lakes.

The home ranges of many species are moving northward at up to 30 km each decade.  In many cases, the change is too fast for genetic adaptation to allow species to stay in place.

One reason why climate change can be so devastating is the disruption of food chains, as predators, prey and plants develop different coping strategies.

For example, many Arctic birds time their spring migration North to coincide with an abundance of mosquito larvae. If spring comes too early, the birds arrive too late - after mosquitoes have already hatched. Instead of a plentiful food supply for their hatchlings, the parents are faced with a plague of mosquitoes, forcing them to abandon their nests.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change  (IPCC), we must reduce non-climate stressors in order to help our wildlife adapt to global warming.  For this reason, strong stand-alone legislation to protect species and critical habitat is absolutely crucial.  It is not just about the health of endangered species, but about the health of all wildlife, including ourselves.