A new study led by a UF professor is encouraging people to take action against climate change.
The study, published Thursday, aimed to prove climate change is impacting ecosystems around the world, said Brett Scheffers, a UF ecology assistant professor. Since August 2015, he worked with a team of 17 researchers from 10 countries to look at how other studies have tracked climate change over the years.
“Everyone talks about climate change as a problem for the future,” Scheffers said. “People are planning so that we can prevent climate change, and the point of this paper is not about preventing it. Climate change is already here.”
The study found how the consequences of climate change on ecosystems and people are going to become more severe over time.
The team wanted to show how different ecosystems, including marine and freshwater systems, have evolved due to climate change, he said. Florida’s ecosystem has also been affected.
“Precipitation is changing in Gainesville and the surrounding area,” he said. “This should be a major concern for everyone.”
Peter Frederick, a research professor in UF’s Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, said Florida’s east and west coasts are sinking in slightly.
“The big impact of climate change in Florida that everyone thinks about is sea level rise because a lot of Florida coastal areas are low lying, and it wouldn’t take much for them to become inundated,” he said.
But rising sea levels aren’t the only concern for Floridians, he added. Climate change has created inconsistent weather, leaving the state vulnerable to droughts, floods or even uncontrollable wildfires.
“It’s no wonder that Florida burns,” he said. “If it gets dry, it’s going to burn.”
