Global Warming good or bad?

[Richie Stan]

As global warming takes affect, scientists say the changes will kill off many species, but there must be many species that are clinging on to existence and need the changes such as more acidic sea water, or the creation of new flood lands to thrive? Is it also true that there are more species now than ever before in the history of the planet?

[heathfield]

Those species clinging on to existence are at least alive and still with us. But if a species is killed off by climate change, then it's dead and gone forever. The number of species under threat from climate change far outweighs the number that are just hanging on.
As to the number of species present today compared to the past, see the last paragraph here

[Lonnie]

Under the law of natural selection, and also, if you believe in evolution, when one species dies out, another takes its place.

Of course, this is without human interference.

[Richie Stan]

�Today species are being driven to extinction at a rate higher than any time in the past.�

How is this the case if other mass extinction where due to meteorites? I'm sure a 6mile wide meteor caused the extinction of species a lot quicker then 2000 years.

Ok so 2000 years ago there was the most species. It called a mass extinction as a period of one to several million years, and yet in just 2000 years they think this is the sixth great extinction?

What about new species, I am not knowledgeable, hence asking the questions, but how often do new species come about? And could the change in the climate increase the number of species?

[chinois]

It's an interesting point. Species will adapt and new ones will be created. I think it's fair to say that there will be a lul in the near future but ecosystems naturally balance out.

The problem is that humans seem to be the organism that has the biggest effect on this and it's hard to deny that these climate changes are happening unnaturally quickly. Perhaps it will force species to evolve quicker and quicker?

[sue11]

I recently read a book, it was a fiction book (Michael Critchton I think) but it did have an interesting viewpoint. This was that global warming is not happening as quick as some people would have us believe and it suits those people to push it because it is in their financial interest to do so!
As I am a bit of a cynic and not a tree hugger, I can quite believe this theory. I also tend to believe that there is cyclical change to the climate and that change will happen whatever we do! I do not really think that we are having as much effect as we think we are. But then that is my personal view and I am sure that someone else will have another opinion!
And yes I do agree that species will adapt to change as they have done so throughout the centuries.
Cheers
Sue