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Ecological Impacts of Climate Change (2008) / Chapter Skim
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5 Impacts of Future Climate Changes
Pages 38-40

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 38...
... Second, if "business as usual" practices continue, climate change in coming decades will be exceptionally rapid, much more rapid on a sustained global basis than the transitions into and out of past ice ages. The only global-scale climate changes in Earth's history that have happened more rapidly are probably those associated with major cataclysms, such as meteor impacts.
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From page 39...
... There is no question that the impacts of climate change on ecosystems become increasingly profound as the magnitude and rate of climate change increases and that disruptions to ecosystem services, including potentially irreplaceable services from biological diversity, become more severe. The challenge is finding a set of policies, practices, and standards of behavior that provide long-term economic opportunities and improved quality of life around the world while maintaining a sustainable climate and viable ecosystems.
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From page 40...
... Carefully considered approaches to and investment in conservation, sustainable agricultural practices, pollution reduction, and water management can all work together to help ecosystems withstand the impact of a changing climate and maintain critical ecosystem services. The climate challenge is big and complex.
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Key Terms

  • climate changes
  • human actions
  • ecosystem services
  • coming decades
  • changing climate

  • future consequences
  • actions climate
  • human control
  • human land
  • help ecosystems

  • ecosystem composition
  • ecosystems climate
  • causing climate
  • critical ecosystem
  • climate warms

  • ecosystem responses
  • altered terrestrial
  • change increases
  • pollution reduction
  • ongoing pressures

  • key impacts
  • including potentially
  • exceptionally rapid
  • economic grounds
  • authoritative recent

  • interglacial conditions
  • fundamentally altered
  • technological alternatives
  • pesticide runoff
  • temperature change


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