How do climate change and global warming affect animals and their habitats?

Climate change is the long-term alteration of temperature and weather patterns caused mostly by human activities, like burning fossil fuels.

Effects on Animals:

• Polar bears lose their icy hunting grounds as glaciers melt.
• Coral reefs (home to 25% of marine species) are dying due to warmer waters and ocean acidification.
• Bird migration is disrupted because seasons no longer follow natural patterns.
• Amphibians like frogs are extremely sensitive to temperature; many are dying out.
• In some regions, animals are forced to migrate to cooler areas, where they may not survive.

Habitats become unstable, food becomes scarce, and the breeding cycles of animals are thrown off. Climate change is the biggest modern threat to wildlife.