Happy blog action day! I’ve created a special theme in honor of Blog Action Day. It’s called “ForTheBirds” and is environmentally responsible (much darker than my previous theme – less energy used by your monitor). As soon as I clean up the xhtml/css, I will be posting it up on WordPress as a V2.3 compatible theme for public download. Look for it soon. Or, shoot me an email: lauren@anendlessarray.com. I’ll notify you as soon as it’s available to the public.

So, why am I focusing on birds? Isn’t the whole idea of Blog Action Day to write something epic about the environment as a whole? This is true, but I tend to look at the smaller picture to make my case about the larger one. Birds are awesome animals, and the perfect metaphor. Think about the canary in a coal mine – you send something more vulnerable down into a hole, and if it comes up dead, then you shouldn’t go down there. So while there might be other flora and fauna that are more vulnerable to global warming, birds already have that stigma of being the test subjects, thanks to 18th century minors.

Birds have long been vulnerable to our unfortunate mistreatment of the environment throughout the past centuries. DDT almost killed off the bald eagle by causing the shells of their eggs to become weak and brittle – luckily thanks to breeding programs and regulations banning the use of DDT they’re making a comeback. Unpredictable weather patterns caused by the effects of Global Warming has harmed both migratory birds and year rounders alike to be caught in sudden storms and die. Sea birds are increasingly at risk for mercury poisoning due to the levels of this heavy metal found in fish (we are too actually). Skyscrapers with glass windows/walls, turbines, industrial smoke stacks, auto pollution, you name it – everything we do effects the ecosystem.

research on birds indicated that up to 72 percent of bird species in northeastern Australia and more than a third in Europe could go extinct due to global warming. The WWF report, which reviewed more than 200 scientific articles on birds found that species most at risk included migratory, mountain, island, wetland, Arctic, Antarctic and seabirds. (from MongaBay.com)

Here is a list I pulled off of the ABCbirds.org site (a public project funded by EPA to track the relationship between climate change and birds:

Some general information on climate change and birds

Recent regional changes in climate, particularly increases in temperature, have already affected terrestrial and marine ecosystems in many parts of the world. [Source: IPCC Synthesis Report 2001] For example:

• Between 1971 and 1995 the laying date for many species of British birds has shifted earlier by an average of nine days. [Source: Nature 388: 526]
• Adelie penguin breeding numbers have declined over the last 40 years. This decline is thought to be tied to a reduction in the frequency of years with extensive heavy winter sea ice in the Antarctic making suitable feeding sites too scarce or distant. At the same time, Chin-strap Penguin numbers have increased. [Source: Polar Biology 11: 525-531]
• Meta-analyses on 143 previously published studies reveal a consistent temperature-related shift, or ‘fingerprint’ in a number of species from around the globe. More than 80% of the 1,400 plant and animal species studied show changes in the direction expected on the basis of known physiological constraints of species. Of those species showing a change in spring phenology (earlier arrival, for example), the average rate of change has been approximately 5 days earlier per decade with an average study length of three decades. One of the biggest changes was in the breeding of the Common Murre which has advanced by 24 days per decade. [Source: Nature 421: 57-60].
• Biodiversity will be affected by climate change and sea-level rise, with an increased risk of extinction of some species. Significant disruptions to ecosystems from disturbances (e.g., fire, insect outbreaks) are expected to increase and changes in climate could also increase the probability of abrupt, non-linear changes in many ecosystems. [Source: IPCC Synthesis Report 2001] For example:
• In the Prairie Pothole region of the United States, increasing temperatures will likely result in increased drought conditions and loss of wetlands. This could lead to an almost 50% reduction in breeding waterfowl numbers. While these ducks may be able to move farther north to breed, wetlands in those areas may also be adversely affected by climate change. [Source: Climatic Change 40: 343-369]
• The ranges of most North American grassland birds will likely shift northward into areas currently containing forests. Unless all species (birds and plants) shift at the same rate, an unlikely prospect, then habitat may be limiting for these species in the future. Models suggest that at least two grassland birds (Sprague’s Pipit and McCown’s Longspur) may face extinction. [Source: Price, J.T. In press. Potential impacts of climate change on North American grassland birds. U.S.G.S. Tech. Publication]. Current research is looking at how much habitat may be available for these species to move into.
• Parts of northern Minnesota and southwestern Ontario may end up with 14 fewer species of warblers than are currently found there. This could lead to increased outbreaks of some forest pests like spruce budworms. [Source: Transactions of the 66th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference 371-379; Managing for Healthy Ecosystems 465-469]
• The range of the Baltimore Oriole may shift north until it is no longer found around Baltimore. [Source: The Birdwatcher's Guide to Global Warming]

Alright, that said, now I’ll get on to talking a bit more about global warming and what we can do to curb it as individuals…

Global warming is not just some fancy term used by environmental lobbyists out to stop corporate America from making money – It is a very real tell tale sign that we’ve really messed things up, and the symptoms are hurting birds, hurting animals and insects of all kinds, and it’s hurting us (think Hurricane Katrina). The Washington Post had an interesting article Global Warming’s Real Inconvenient Truth by Robert J. Samuelson back in July of 2006 that summed up the threat of global warming very well. The facts, spelled out:

From 2003 to 2050, the world’s population is projected to grow from 6.4 billion people to 9.1 billion, a 42 percent increase. If energy use per person and technology remain the same, total energy use and greenhouse gas emissions (mainly, carbon dioxide) will be 42 percent higher in 2050. But that’s too low, because societies that grow richer use more energy.

So what can you do to play your role and encourage others to play theirs in the quest to curb the effects of global warming? Well, start with the energy you consume. From cars to the computer you are on now, to the space heater in your apartment – we live in a time where energy consumption is happening all around us – we’re doing it, and not thinking about it.

Here are 5 ways you can effect your own and others’ energy consumption:

1. Make your website or blog or MySpace page (or any web page or account you have online that’s customizable) darker in color – changing the background color even by a few shades will use less energy every time a user goes to your site. If you get 100,000 page views a day, that can be a hell of a lot of energy..but even if you only get 100 it still helps a lot. If you want my current Blog Action Day WordPress theme, email me and I’ll let you know when It’s available to the public.

2. Turn down the thurmostat, lose the space heater, turn down the AC – get warmer sweaters and use less artificial heat. If you live in a freezing climate, obviously you need some heat, but buy energy efficient appliances and use them as sparingly as possible.

3. Drive less (or not at all). Car pool. Take public transportation or use your damn feet! Get a hybrid or alternative fueled automobil if you are looking to buy yourself some new wheels. You’ve heard this a million times. But you wouldn’t drive if every time you did, you hit a baby bird, now would you? Remember the canary in a coal mine analogy – auto emissions are a huge contributor to global warming. So drive less for the sake of the birds.

4. Buy locally grown organic foods – and avoid processed food products – Local foods don’t have to be transported as far in diesel fueled tractor trailers. And organic means it’s not dusted in pesticides that have adverse effects on the ecosystem. Processing plants use a TON of energy and emit tons of gases into the atmosphere – buy not supporting processed foods less will be made. Supply and demand.

5. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle…Everything You Can – computers, peripherals, cell phones, soda cans, plastic bags, paper goods, glass.

And of course, remind others gently to do the same. Spread the word and save a bird!

If you want to read more about how you can save energy and effect the environment positively, you can check out my previous post from July titled Designer’s Green: Sustainable Practices for the Web Community. It’s got some additional tips geared toward tech/design professionals as well as everybody else, and some resource links where you can read more about sustainable green living.

Posted on Monday, October 15th, 2007 at 3:52 am Follow responses via the RSS 2.0 feed.