GEF

Unit 2  |  Humanity’s Ecological Footprint 48 Changes in global climate are beginning to influence patterns of plant and animal distribution, seasonal events such as flowering and pollination, and the composition of ecosystems around the world. It is expected that many species that are not able to adapt to a rapidly changing climate will go extinct without long-term efforts to protect them in zoos or biological reserves. SUSTAINABILITY CONCEPTS Sea level rise due to melting ice caps threatens low-lying islands, such as the Maldives in the Indian Ocean and Tybee Island off the coast of Georgia in the Atlantic. It also threatens coastal communities around the globe. In the short term, these areas are faced with flooding. In the long term, they may disappear under water completely. This could potentially create millions of climate refugees.