Climate Change and Primates

Climate change is real - we are already seeing the effects worldwide.  It is affecting everything on earth, large and small creatures alike; non human primates are no exception.

According to an article published in the Journal of Primatology and Concordia University last year, the species that will be the most affected by climate change are located in Central America, the Amazon, Southeastern Brazil, East and Southeast Asia.  The authors Tanya L Graham, H. Damon Matthews (Concordia University of Montreal) and Sarah Turner (McGill University) predict that some will experience "1.5 degree Celsius for every degree Celsius of global warming".

This is not something new.  Scientists have known for some time that climate change, combined with other factors linked to human activity, such as deforestation, pose a major threat to the survival of our closest cousins.  I would recommend checking another article published in 2010 in the Journal of Biogeography which emphasized that gorillas may not be able to survive - and we know how few of them are left in the world.  Rising temperatures and decreased rain falls will affect foraging, it will displace groups and impose additional stress to already difficult conditions.
Primate habitat will be fragmented and group size will be impacted.

Climate change has been on my mind for quite some time.  Floods, extremely summer temperatures, extremely cold winters, spring days arriving too soon, Peacock having chicks out of season, canceled flights… everything is out of whack.

I have been concerned about the plight of endangered species - such as the black and white ruffed lemur, I have been friends with for the past fiver years.  Many days, I felt angry and powerless.  This is why I finally decided to do something different and applied to the Climate Reality Project Corp Leadership Training and I was privileged to be accepted and attend a three day training session last week in Denver, CO.  I expected the experience to be amazing, but it was more than amazing.  It was life changing.  There were about 700 trainees (900 people total) from all over the world - all dedicated to the mission of combatting climate change one step at a time to save our beautiful planet and its many inhabitants.  I met the most interesting, passionate and warm people ever.

Listening to former Vice President Al Gore Chairman of the Climate Reality Project., former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, the panel of scientists who attended and so many other speakers, I became hopeful for the first time in so long.

It is encouraging to know that solutions are at end - renewable energies are gaining momentum, they are cheaper, produce clean energy, have a lesser impact on the environment, will prove to be profitable to businesses, create jobs and last but not least will give us a chance to save our species and our planet, IF we take action quickly.
There is a "IF" but if we all do our part, we have a fighting chance.  Hope at last!!!

I was equally encouraged to hear that large companies, campuses and indeed entire cities are committing to 100% renewable energies.  Such progress!

It is a world issue, that concerns us all - hence the Paris Agreement on Climate.  If primates don't survive, we won't either.

So, on behalf our fellow human primates and my dear non human primate friends, I urge everyone to take a little step - however small - to heal our Planet - our only home.