Our actions here affect ecologies elsewhere

I recently returned from an environmental science and ethics study-abroad trip to Costa Rica, where I gained a deeper awareness of the environmental impacts of global warming-induced climate change.

While assisting at a sea turtle sanctuary on the Caribbean Coast, I was shocked to learn that a slight increase in temperature resulted in less vegetative cover on the beach. The sanctuary staff had to relocate nesting sites from their original location to the cooler areas near the beach's forested boundaries. Otherwise, many of the sea turtle eggs would perish in the hot, exposed sand.

This is not the only apparent symptom of climatic change that I noticed. Out of the 10 days I was visiting, it rained only four days at a time when daily precipitation in the rain forest is the norm for that area of Costa Rica. This poses a huge threat for many invertebrates that are the foundation of a much larger biological web.

We must realize that other parts of the world may be more severely impacted by global warming because of their unique climates. Although we may not see it, our actions here contribute to ecological problems around the world.

Tyler Knierim

Cedar Rapids