The first World Climate Conference was held from February 12th to 23rd in 1979 in Geneva. It was one of the first international meetings on climate change. NASA states, since the late nineteenth century, carbon dioxide and human-made emissions were, and still are being released into the atmosphere which has taken a toll on the planets surface temperature. Temperatures have risen about 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit. From 2010 to now, has had five of the warmest years recorded with 2016 being the warmest year on record. In return, oceans face the consequences of this increased heat by becoming 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit warmer since 1969. Ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica have been decreasing in size. From 1993 to 2016, Greenland lost about an average of 286 billion tons of ice while Antarctica lost an average of about 127 billion tons of ice, both per year. Satellite observations have indicated that through the last 50 years, spring snow that covers the Northern Hemisphere has decreased and that the snow is melting earlier than usual. Global sea level rose about 8 inches in the last 100 years, which indicates glaciers are melting. All of these changes on the earths surface and the earth’s climate have taken a toll on many species that rely on certain habitats that are changing or being destroyed because of the current stance of ou
r planet. A specific species and very controversial topic are honey bees. The majority of plants needed for food rely on pollen which honey bees provide. There are public and political concerns about the decline of honey bees. According to Friends of the Earth, this decline is caused by a loss of their habitat and food while being exposed to pesticides, and the temperature changes of climate change. When an important species like bees decline, it can cause an entire ecosystem to have complications whether an increasing population or declining population in one organism, destroying the habitats of the wildlife residing there. That is why the campaign, Save the Bees has made protecting this species a priority as well as a global concern. Recognizing the importance of honey bees may ensure that they thrive in our ecosystem. While most of the general population focuses on a popular topic, saving the bees because of climate change they do not realize they can prevent the loss of bees in climate change by saving the whales. Whales are at the top of the ecological food chain and have importance in all aspects of marine life. They do not only have importance towards marine life, but an important to our fight against climate change, and economical benefits to many countries that appreciate the presence of these beautiful large mammals.