Why birds?
Like other living things, humans rely on healthy ecosystems for
survival. Functioning ecosystems provide clean air, food, medicine,
flood and climate control and are often important spiritual,
recreational, and cultural sites.
While birds are just one of the many types of organisms living in any
given ecosystem, focusing science, outreach, and advocacy on birds often
provides us with a way to understand the state an ecosystem is in and to
engage people with the world around them. Chicago alone has over 300
different types of birds that can be observed at different times of the
year in virtually every location.
What are the particular threats to birds in Chicago?
As climate change continues, many of Chicago's birds have begun to see their habitats threatened by factors such as degradation and increased extreme weather events. For some, the climate in Chicago may also become unsuitable for their existence and result in them moving to other locations. We know that climate change does not affect different types of birds in the same way- some are much more vulnerable than others. Below, you can explore a simulated graphic of the potential impacts of climate change on some birds that can be seen in the state of Illinois. When ‘current’ is selected, you will see how the number of birds seen has changed since 2010. These numbers are based on how often a bird was seen and input into the ‘Ebird’ database, so the increase likely represents an increase in usage of the site as technology to upload observations became more readily available. When you select ‘3 degrees’ you will see the “speculative past” of these birds if the habitat loss predicted to occur (i.e. 30% of a birds current range is predicted to be lost) had already occurred.
Warming scenario:
To help understand how climate change may alter Earth, scientists
use models that run under different ‘scenarios’ depending on how
much the causes of climate change are mitigated by humans.
Many biologists will then use these predictions to understand how
the suitable habitat for a given species may shift in location,
grow, or shrink.
Many biologists will then use these predictions to understand how the suitable habitat for a given species may shift in location, grow, or shrink.
A ‘3 degree’ scenario hypothesizes that if the average temperature
on Earth rises by 3 degrees, what will things like regional
temperatures, precipitation, and weather events look like?
Choose one bird below and click "+3.0 °C" button to learn more
about how they are affected by climate change.
What can I do?
In addition to exploring your local areas, we also encourage everyone to support and follow the following groups who frequently share actions surrounding environmental legislation or similar issues.
Little Village Environmental Justice Organization
The mission of LVEJO is to organize with our community to accomplish environmental justice in Little Village and achieve the self-determination of immigrant, low-income, and working-class families.
Southeast Environmental Task Force
Dedicated to serving the southeast side and south suburbs of Chicago by promoting environmental education, pollution prevention, and sustainable development.
Illinois Environmental Council
IEC works to safeguard Illinois—its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.
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