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Press Release
For Immediate Release: January 29, 2002
Climate Change Threatens Health of America's
Lakes, Streams, Rivers and Wetlands
Washington, DC - Global climate change poses a serious threat to
lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands throughout the United States,
according to a new report from the Pew Center on Global Climate
Change. The temperature increases and variations in weather
patterns projected for the next 100 years will result in changes in the
geographic distribution of freshwater fish, interfere with the
reproduction of many aquatic species, reduce water quality, and
impose added stresses on wetlands and other sensitive aquatic
ecosystems.
"The United States' freshwater and wetland ecosystems face multiple
threats to their health and stability, including changes in land use,
environmental pollution, and the diversion of water for drinking,
irrigation, and other uses," said Eileen Claussen, President of the
Pew Center on Global Climate Change. "To these threats we must
now add the very real and very serious effects of global climate
change and its potential to transform the essential character of our
lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands."
The Pew Center report, Aquatic Ecosystems and Climate Change:
Potential Impacts on Inland Freshwater and Coastal Wetland
Ecosystems in the United States, draws on a variety of sources to
summarize researchers' current understanding of the potential
impacts of climate change on U.S. aquatic ecosystems. Among the
report's key conclusions:
Increases in water temperatures as a result of climate change
will alter the geographic distribution of aquatic plant and
animal species. The severity of these impacts may be limited
if species can migrate to new areas as climate changes.
However, the ability of species to migrate may be
compromised by human activities that block migration
corridors, potentially causing reductions in biodiversity.
Changes in precipitation will alter river and streamflows
affecting ecosystem productivity and reducing water quality.
Populations of aquatic organisms are sensitive to the effects
of floods, droughts and other extreme weather events, which
are likely to increase as a result of climate change.
Climate change is likely to further stress sensitive freshwater
and coastal wetlands. Wetlands throughout the United States
already are adversely affected by a variety of human impacts.
Climate change will add to the existing stresses on these
fragile ecosystems in a variety of ways-most notably by
causing global sea levels to rise and inundate coastal
wetlands. Rising global temperatures also will cause the
wetland areas of Alaska and Canada to release additional
carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere.
Aquatic ecosystems have a limited ability to adapt to climate
change. Governments, communities, businesses, and
individual citizens can take a number of steps to reduce the
likelihood of significant impacts to these systems while
improving their ability to adapt to climate change. These
include: maintaining riparian forests; reducing pollution from a
variety of sources; restoring damaged ecosystems;
minimizing groundwater withdrawal; and strategically placing
new reservoirs to minimize their ecological impacts.
"Our rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands support economically
important fisheries and provide Americans with clean drinking water,
water for irrigation, recreational opportunities, and more," said
Claussen. "This report shows that climate change puts all of these
services at risk, but it also shows there are things we can do to
reduce that risk."
Aquatic Ecosystems and Global Climate Change was prepared for
the Pew Center by N. LeRoy Poff, Mark M Brinson, and John W.
Day, Jr. It is the seventh in a series of Pew Center reports examining
the potential impacts of climate change on the U.S. environment.
Other Pew Center series focus on domestic and international policy
issues, climate change solutions, and the economics of climate
change.
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