Climate change, the long-term change in the average weather patterns that have come to define Earth's local, regional and global climates. Many things contribute to climate change, some are natural and some are caused by human activity. Events like natural disasters and ecosystem overpopulation happen without human interference, but a large portion of climate change and mass extinction are caused by humans like pollution, Urbanization, and deforestation are often irreversible and completely detrimental to the wildlife around us.

Urbanization is one of the leading causes of wildlife extinction on earth because it causes many different issues for ecosystems and creatures alike. “Urbanization can decrease biodiversity and alter species ranges and interactions.” (European Environment Agency) Meaning that the structures and roads we build can trap living organisms and force them to “Mutate”  to their surroundings. “For example, some bird populations living in urban environments have altered their beak shape to be able to more effectively eat the seeds in human-made bird feeders.” (European Environment Agency) Otherwise an organism will be forced into extinction if the organism cannot adapt and change quickly enough. “The Peppered Moths in the early 1900s were both a combination of salt-and-pepper coloring, but over the years the black speckled moth had become almost 90% of the population. New data has shown that the genetic changes in the moth coincide with Britains change to coal.” (Understanding Global Change) This shows that in some cases the species will have enough biodiversity that because of their unique traits a certain strain of a species will survive. This process is called natural selection, but it is not in fact entirely natural, because the moths genetic switch in color was caused by the human production of coal that coated trees turning them black. Because of the industrial revolution the white moths were easier prey, and have almost entirely gone extinct.

Another contributing factor towards climate change is resource limitation. “Resource limitation is generally associated with reductions in rates of resource uptake, biomass production, or population growth that are caused by low availability of energy and materials such as carbon, water, and other essential elements (nutrients).” (Terrestrial Resource Limitation) Although humans around the world also struggle with finding food. “Thanks to Fritz Haber, the first scientist to discover how to separate nitrogen from air, we have more of an advantage over food than any other creature on earth.”(Resource Limitation Determines Responses) Since Fritz Haber's discovery the human population on the earth has more than tripled, proving that humans have taken over the earth leaving increasingly less and less space, water, and food for other life on earth. 

An incredible number of issues have been caused by human neglect of our earth, and we have lost many incredible species due to urbanization, and resource limitations. Just like the Speckled moth, and even our own national bird the Bald Eagle many other species have almost gone extinct because of humans.  Many have already suffered the consequences of human activity including the Dodo Bird, the Tasmanian Devil, the Carolina Parakeet, the Axolotl, the Mountain Gorilla, the Brown Tree Snake, and most recently the White Rhinoceros, as well as hundreds and hundreds of other species.

Works cited

"Urbanization." European Environment Agency, eea.europa.eu/help/glossary/eea-glossary/urbanisation#:~:text=Urbanisation%20is%20the%20increase%20in,a%20country%20is%20still%20developing . 

Accessed 22 Mar. 2024.

"Urbanization." Understanding Global Change,

 ugc.berkeley.edu/background-content/urbanization/ . 

Accessed 22 Mar. 2024.

"Terrestrial Resource Limitation." Oxford Bibliographies, www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780199830060/obo-9780199830060-0130.xml#obo-9780199830060-0130-div1-0004 . 

Accessed 21 Mar. 2024.

"Resource limitation in a competitive context determines complex plant responses

     to experimental resource additions." JSTOR,

  www.jstor.org/stable/23597212 .

Accessed 22 Mar. 2024.