How Climate Change Will Affect Birds in Georgia
Vulnerable Birds in Georgia
Highly and moderately vulnerable birds may lose more than half of their current range—the geographic area where they live—as they are forced to search for suitable habitat and climate conditions elsewhere.
Georgia
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Below, find out which of the birds that nest or spend the winter in your area are most vulnerable across their entire range. Some birds may lose range outside of your state, making the protection of their current habitat in your area even more important.
How will the Brown Thrasher's range be affected in Georgia?
Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns affect birds' ability to find food and reproduce, which over time impacts local populations, and ultimately continent-wide populations, too. Some species may even go extinct in your state if they cannot find the conditions they need to survive and raise their young.
Select a warming scenario to see how this species’ range will change under increased global temperatures.
Reducing warming makes many types of birds found in Georgia less vulnerable.
In order to hold warming steady, we must act now to reduce the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere and limit warming to 1.5 degrees. We must reduce our carbon emissions and also absorb what is produced through natural solutions like reforestation or with technology that removes carbon from the air.
Click the three different warming scenarios to explore how increased warming puts more species in Georgia at risk.
Georgia's Birds and Habitats
Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge, a 2,800-acre coastal sanctuary, hosts more than a dozen nesting species of wading birds, including endangered Wood Storks. The pine and hardwood forests of Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge is home to southeastern specialties like Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Brown-headed Nuthatches, and Bachman’s Sparrows. In spring Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park outside Atlanta reliably attracts dozens of species of migrating songbirds, including Cerulean and Blackburnian warblers.
Climate Policy in Georgia
RENEWABLE
1.9 % Hydro
1.5 % Solar
NUCLEAR
FOSSIL FUEL
25.2 % Coal
.2 % Petroleum
OTHER
Climate Alliance?
(Data: U.S. EIA)
Georgia’s solar market is growing quickly: In 2017, more than 175,000 homes were powered by solar, a 13-fold increase from 2013. Atlanta aims to reach 100-percent clean energy by 2035, partnering with Georgia Power to improve energy efficiency and aid low-income residents (including through community solar projects).
Climate Threats Facing Birds and People in Georgia
Georgia’s sea levels have risen up to 11 inches since 1950 and could rise another six inches in the next 14 years, eroding beaches and wetlands and increasing storm damage in coastal communities such as Savannah and Brunswick. Severe storms—including Hurricanes Matthew, Irma, and Maria—destroyed homes and infrastructure and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.
The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk harm people, too. Hover over or tap an area on the map to see specific threats that will affect that area as warming increases.