A recent study on some of the effects of global warming presents some rather alarming results about the possible disappearance of more than two-thirds of California’s plants. What makes it even worse is the fact that the species are unique and cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

The potential floral collapse involves more than 2,000 species and without an immediate intervention, by the end of the century, the rising temperatures and the irregular rain will lead to a significant eco-system unbalance.

Some of the plants might have a fighting chance by migrating to higher grounds or cooler coastal areas, but the majority will need the researchers’ intervention for a successful relocation. The current danger areas are at about 100 miles away from the safe cooler locations and the natural migration process, which is extremely slow, will have to face the impediment of the suburban areas.

The study, presented in a study released by the on-line journal PLoS One, is the first to offer a complete presentation of a certain area, with a detailed analysis of all the location’s compounds. Similar studies, but far less complex, focused on certain areas in Europe, Australia, South Africa and eastern United States.

The scientists had to gather information on more than 80,000 specimens and the process required close to five years of analyzing. The scientists worked on eight different scenarios, with different rates of warming and also taking into consideration the migration capacities of the species. The timing for such an elaborate mission was considered truly adequate, as there is still time to come up with an appropriate strategy for saving most of the endangered species.

Another conclusion reached by the researchers is that the disappearance of certain plants will surely affect the animals depending on them for food, thus triggering a snow-ball effect.

One of the leaders of the study, ecologist Scott Loarie, explained, according to the Los Angeles Times, that "The climate is changing 10 times faster than it did during the last ice ages," and in order to have a chance of preserving our environment, "The first thing we need to do is to reduce the pace of change." The claim refers to the fact that at its current rate, the climate change will lead to a large series of harmful effects and we will be put in the situation of choosing which issue we consider more important to focus our efforts on.

At this point, knowing the negative effects ahead with a decent amount of time, such a selection might not be necessary, as there is still time to come up with a successful solution for all the endangered areas.

Under the current global evolution, by the end of the century, the temperatures worldwide will be higher with about three degrees Celsius under an optimistic estimate and close to five degrees Celsius under a more realistic scenario.

The people involved in the study hope that the results released in the media will act as a wake-up call for the general public and also for the government, as this is no longer a distant issue that begins with the phrase "A time will come when the effects of our actions…" and rather with "Soon, the effects…"