Global Warming: A Dangerous Thing On Earth

The size of fish in the oceans is shrinking. A new report from the University of British Columbia in Canada states fish may shrink by as much as a quarter in the coming decades because of global warming. The research team conducted extensive tests on the effect of rising ocean temperatures on the size and number of over 600 species of fish around the world. 


They concluded that most fish are likely to shrink in size by 14-24 per cent by the year 2050. The biggest changes will be seen in tropical regions. The scientists said there is less oxygen in warmer water so fish cannot grow at the rate they should. They added that many fish will migrate to cooler waters outside the tropics.


Lead researcher Professor William Cheung said: "We were surprised to see such a large decrease in fish size. Marine fish are generally known to respond to climate change through changing distribution and seasonality. But the unexpectedly big effect that climate change could have on body size suggests that we may be missing a big piece of the puzzle of understanding climate change effects in the ocean." 

He added that human activities such as overfishing and pollution will worsen the problem: "Our work shows a very concerning future for the oceans and so it is very important to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop better fish management policies to adapt to these changes," he said.


EXERCISE 1. PRONUNCIATION/WORD VOCABULARY

1. shrinking [Sheern-king]
Meaning (verb)-to become smaller; to lessen in amount or value
Example Sentence: Japanese' population is shrinking because of the greater number of older people.


2.seasonality [see-so-na-li-ti]
Meaning (noun)- Any predictable change or pattern in a time series that recurs or repeats over a one-year period can be said to be seasonal.
Example Sentence: Spring is a kind of seasonality changes.

3. over-fishing 
Meaning (noun)- getting too much fish in the sea.
Example Sentence: Fishermen who do over-fishing catch even those smaller fish in the ocean.


EXERCISE 2. SHARING IDEAS

1. What is the article all about?
2. What do you think about climate change?
3. What other human activities are affecting climate change?
4. How would the world change if fish got smaller in size and number?
5. What might the situation be like in the year 2100?


Article Source: Breaking News English