?How Pollution Contributes to Extinction Pressure
The spread of pollution affects both humans and wildlife worldwide. However, unlike human beings who are capable of surviving just about anywhere, most species are reliant upon specific environments for their survival.
Climate change, for instance, has already been responsible for changing the distribution of species worldwide. Many of these organisms, whether on land, air or sea, are unable to simply pack up and follow where the conditions they are adapted to are moving. Animals that rely upon conditions at the poles, for instance, are finding that there is nowhere to go, even if they are relatively mobile.
More directly, chemical and radioactive pollution that is now found in every ecosystem on Earth is making these species less able to compete. Whether it’s fish and mammals that rely upon water at a specific temperature or a unique delivery of nutrition, reproductive health and overall fitness suffers as a result of these pollutants.
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