from climaterealism
Author: Linny Luken
The Guardian recently published a post titled “For the first time, the US lists fireflies as endangered, and firefly species could be eclipsed,” claiming that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering listing a species native to the northeastern United States Some firefly species are listed as endangered because of climate change. This is wrong, or at least the focus on climate factors at the beginning of the article is wrong. The threats listed are not climate impacts, and the US government's proposal even acknowledges that human development poses a real threat.
The article describes a species of firefly called the Bethany Beach firefly, which is found in coastal areas of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, claiming that it “is due to climate change-related events, including ocean As levels rise, its natural habitats are increasingly in danger” and “groundwater aquifers decrease” over time.
First of all, it's worth noting that the article acknowledges that rising sea levels are expected to affect firefly habitats “by the end of this century,” approximately 76 years from now. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), this firefly is only found in freshwater marshes near coastal dune environments. The FWS release was more specific and said that based on climate models, 76-95% of habitat could be lost to high-tide flooding by 2100.
That may be true, but it's unclear whether these habitats will be lost forever as sea levels rise, rather than just gradually retreating inland over the course of decades. By default, the dune environment is extremely unstable and will change with each tide, allowing it to grow and recede naturally. The associated freshwater marshes (swales) also change with the seasons.
climate realism It has been pointed out many times that sea level rise is not the accelerating danger portrayed in the media, such as on the East Coast.
Surprisingly, the Guardian article itself is quick to mention one factor in the relative rise in sea levels on the East Coast that is also destroying the freshwater environment that fireflies need: “lowering groundwater aquifers.” These aquifers on the East Coast are declining not because of climate change, but because a growing population requires more water withdrawals. This causes the land to sink, increasing the relative rate of sea level rise in some areas. For example, the ground in Delaware is sinking about 1.7 millimeters per year, accumulating about 7 inches over 100 years.
The real crux of the matter lies later in the article, where the Guardian ends by mentioning sudden changes in the firefly's habitat that actually affect its survival in the short term, which are “the growing threats posed by coastal development and light pollution.” Or it interferes with the insects' ability to use bioluminescence to communicate with each other, The Guardian notes that Bethany Beach's fireflies only flicker in complete darkness, a situation that is made worse by light pollution caused by coastal housing development. Got less and less.
Study population trends in three states that are home to the Bethany Beach Fireflies; Delaware, Maryland and Virginia have all seen explosive population growth over the past few decades.
“Over the past few years,” the Guardian reports, “the Bethany Beach fireflies have been displaced and their populations wiped out due to development of coastal wetlands.”
This is clearly not due to climate change, and when this article and the FWS report try to make this connection as if climate change is the driving factor behind the decline of fireflies, it comes across as cynical and misleading . The FWS even tried to claim that intensifying severe storms were also expected to cause more firefly habitat damage, but the data simply did not support this assumption.
The Guardian and FWS would be better off telling the truth upfront rather than burying it at the bottom of the article where fewer readers end up seeing it. This is deceptive and does not help the Bethany Beach Fireflies they supposedly care about.
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