I like to start my mornings watching and listening to “Good Morning America” to keep abreast on what has happened overnight around the world. Last week, I watched and listened as GMA co-host Amy Robach traveled to the Galapagos Islands to inspect and report on how climate change is affecting the island’s rare wildlife as part of the show’s Extraordinary Earth series.

Robach reported, “The archipelago straddles the equator, but surprisingly, life here is dependent on cold water. Currents bring nutrient-rich cold water from Antarctica, rising to the surface as it collides with islands supporting the entire food chain. But as water warms, that cold water doesn’t make it to the surface, and without those nutrients, fish and algae die off and animals that feed on them face starvation.”

She added the colorful marine iguanas, which can only be found in the Galapagos Islands, is now becoming a barometer of climate change.

During the broadcast, Jonathan Aguas, a naturalist with Lindblad Expeditions, told Robach the iguanas, which are perfect environmental indicators, can tell us how healthy an environment is by looking at their numbers.

“They specialize in only feeding on green algae,” he stated. “There is a problem with the water becoming warmer and having more extreme temperatures, among some of the water temperatures here, the green algae disappears.”

Robach went on to report, “An El Nino season, which happens about every 10 years, can supercharge warming, catastrophically reducing the food chain temporarily. Now global warming is making El Nino years more frequent and more intense.”

In November 2021, Robach traveled to Antarctica to report on the impact of climate change there.

“The problem here with climate change is when temperatures rise, the ice is shrinking,” Robach reported. “We talked to one expert here on this ship who said the sea ice has already disappeared by 30 percent in his lifetime. It is not hard to imagine 90 percent of the world’s ice is right here in Antarctica, and as temperatures rise and ice starts to melt, it affects every single person on this planet.”

According to a Feb. 28 USA Today article written by Dinah Voyles Pulver and Doyle Rice, titled “UN panel’s grim climate change report: Parts of the planet will become uninhabitable,” “Life in some locations on the planet is rapidly reaching the point where it will be too hot for the species that live there to survive, international climate experts said in a report Monday.”

The article further states, “The report assesses scientific literature documenting the devastating effects of human-caused climate change on society and ecosystems worldwide. Urgent action is needed to curb rising temperatures and limit the worsening impacts that climate change is already having on physical and mental health and well-being, the panel concluded.”

The climate changes that are happening in the Galapagos Islands, Antarctica and around the world are not new.

In the 2006 documentary “An Inconvenient Truth,” former vice president Al Gore presented an illustrated talk aimed at educating the public on how climate changes were already affecting Earth.

While changes in the climate have been happening for years, there are several ways individuals can help slow or stop their effects on Earth. Installing solar panels to help power your home instead of electric will help emit far less heat-trapped gases into the atmosphere. Reduce greenhouse emission gases by buying electric vehicles when feasible, walking to local stores or planning all errands for one trip instead of several trips. Reduce, reuse and recycle any items you no longer need, such as books, magazines, newspapers, plastic or glass bottles and old electronics. Take them to a recycling center and donate old clothing to local charities and churches or drop them in recycling bins located throughout the community.

Other actions include switching traditional light bulbs with LED bulbs to save energy. Replacing old appliances with more energy-efficient models and better insulating your home can help conserve energy. Planting trees in your community or yard can also help with changes in the climate.

Even the smallest effort made every day can be effective with climate change for our children, grandchildren and future generations.

Susan Bryant

editorial assistant

Parkland Press

Northwestern Press