Scientists have finally come up with an explanation for the sudden deaths of 330 elephants in Botswana earlier this year: global warming.
National Park Rescue co-founder Dr. Niall McCann says autopsies on the dead pachyderms showed they died after ingesting cyanobacterial neurotoxins, which can be found on types of South African water plants. Because of warmer temperatures, the offending plants have been flourishing in Botswana, he says.
Over 330 elephants suddenly collapsed and died. Scientists now have an explanation. https://t.co/augWED1xgT
— ABC News (@ABC) September 22, 2020
“As in so many other situations, such as the wildfires in California and Oregon and the floods in the U.K., climate change is the threat multiplier,” McCann says. “Climate change and the effect of global warming on the region is increasing both the intensity and severity of harmful algal blooms, making this issue more likely to reoccur.”
Has global warming affected your life in any way? Will some areas of the earth eventually become uninhabitable?
