Mass Mortality Events--is climate change linked to animal deaths

[Catherine]

I think the current understanding is that what we are really facing is catastrophic climate change. The overall weather patterns that make it comfortable to live on this planet are very fragile. Warming the average global temperature a few degrees is enough to destabilize things. It doesn't mean we will have warmer weather. It means we will have weather extremes. That means higher and lower temperatures and droughts and floods. Some parts of the world will be too dry to live and some parts will be flooded. 
The sea levels will rise as well. We have slightly warmer ocean temperatures so the hurricanes last year were more destructive. Tropical storms are more likely to become hurricanes over a warmer ocean. 

I think of it as rocking a boat to the point where you take in water. The boat might not sink, but it will sit lower in the water and siting in a wet boat can be very unpleasant.  England could experience some extreme winters. I am not sure about that. If anything interrupted the Gulf Stream there would be problems. We just don't know what will happen. It is not good to keep rocking the boat. If we tip the boat over we might not survive, but the boat will be alright. 

We should pay attention to the massive die offs. They are a warning sign that things are not alright. We might want to ask ourselves if there are conditions that could occur that would cause a massive human die off. We carry viruses and bacteria like other species. Is there something we are doing that could trigger them into action with fatal consequences for us. 

Life will go on, but it might not be the way we like it.