If you can't bear to lose them...

IT'S hard to imagine our world without polar bears, penguins, turtles or tigers in it.

Well, our children's kids won't have to imagine-because for them it could be REALITY.

In just 40 years' time ONE IN FOUR of all animals and plants could be extinct due to global warming, a new report by environmental charity WWF reveals.

There is hope-but only if we humans act NOW by slashing greenhouse gas emissions.

And you have a chance to tell the world's decision leaders how much you want this to happen.

Simply sign up and switch off the lights in your home, workplace, or wherever you are, for one hour at 8.30pm on Saturday March 28.

Not only will you be reducing greenhouse gases, you will be sending the message that you want change to the presidents and prime ministers meeting at the UN climate change summit later this year.

WWF is spearheading the switch-off, which is called Earth Hour, and hopes that more than a billion people across the world will take part and influence the decisions made at the summit.

And the News of the World is calling on our eight million readers to take part in the bid to save some of the most loved creatures on Earth.

WWF's UK spokesman Diane Walkington explained: "It is not too late to turn the tide of extinction around, but there is no time to waste. The future of wildlife, like tigers and polar bears, really does depend on a global collective effort.

Celebs

"So Earth Hour is a perfect opportunity for everyone to show they care about the impacts of climate change.

"And News of the World readers can help get that message across by signing up to switch off on March 28."

To make your voice heard, just go to our special webpage www. notw.co.uk/green and click on the Earth Hour link to sign yourself or your company up.

Or you can sign up to Earth Hour by text-text EARTH to 84880, standard rates apply.

Then all you have to do is remember to turn off the lights a week on Saturday. Celebs who have signed up so far include Spice Girl Mel C, TV favourite Paul O'Grady, actress Cate Blanchett, the Sugababes and Boyzone.

Mel C said: "Climate change often leaves people feeling totally overwhelmed by the scale of the problem but Earth Hour is an opportunity for everyone to get involved."

And Paul O'Grady added: "Earth Hour is your chance to be a part of the biggest ever global event in the fight against climate change. Sign up, switch off, and show that you care about tackling climate change."

So please help by going to http://www.notw.co.uk/green- where you can sign up and see plenty of other tips on how you can help save the planet.

Polar Bears

WITHIN 75 years polar bears could be extinct if we don't take urgent action now. And in just 40 years' time two-thirds of their population will have vanished.

This is because the Arctic ice cap, where they live, is melting due to global warming. By 2050 42 per cent of it will have gone.

African Elephants

IN the early 1970s there were 1.3 million African elephants, now there are as few as 470,000. And the number is set to plummet further, as longer droughts and worse floods destroy the vegetation that the elephants eat.

The decrease in elephants will have a disastrous knock-on effect for other species, too. In some West African forests, for example, a third of trees rely on elephants to disperse their seeds.

Penguins

IF temperatures rise by 2°C by 2050 as expected, 50 per cent of Emperor penguins and 75 per cent of Adelie penguins will die as much of their Antartic home melts.

In fact, 11 of the 19 penguin species are already under threat. Many struggle to find food because higher sea temperatures are killing their main food, the shrimp-like krill.

Kangaroos

MORE than a third of the 74 remaining kangaroo species are in grave danger, as their habitat in Australia changes.

Down Under, global warming is having a massive impact-causing hotter, longer droughts, worse bush fires and intense floods.

All of that is destroying the plants that kangaroos graze on. Waterholes are also drying up, so many roos are dying from dehydration and starvation.

Reef-building corals

THE tiny animals that make up coral reefs are highly sensitive to changes in salt levels, sea surface temperatures, UV radiation and nutrient levels. "Bleaching"-where coral gets too hot and dies-is one of the most devastating effects of global warming so far.

It is predicted that up to 80 per cent of the world's reefs will be dead by 2050 if nothing is done. Other species that rely on coral would also die out.

Tigers of the Sunderbans

THERE are only around 4,000 tigers left in the wild-and more than 400 of those live in the swampy forests of Sunderbans, India.

But within 50 years, 70 per cent of this area is set to be swallowed up by the sea due to rising ocean levels.

The remaining land will not be large enough for tigers to live in-they are solitary creatures and need huge areas to hunt in.

Albatrosses

BIRDS are a good indicator of climate change because their life cycles often rely on weather and climatic conditions. And of the 22 species of albatross-the largest seabird in the world-18 are under threat.

Warmer seas mean fewer of the fish that albatrosses like to eat. And increasingly severe storms are blowing birds out of their nests.

Orang-utans

IN the last 10 years the orangutan population has been slashed by up to half, and only around 80,000 remain in the wild. Deforestation has already devastated this great ape's habitat and it is now threatened with climate change.

Rainfall in Indonesia-where many orangutans live-is set to increase by 70 per cent by 2050, causing vast flooding and landslides. And the dry seasons are set to get hotter, meaning more forest fires.

Whales & Dolphins

DESPITE being protected for decades, nine of the 15 great whale species remain close to extinction.

The problem is that many of them, like the humpback and killer whale, live in cold waters like the Arctic basin. As these warm up, the whales get stuck in smaller and smaller areas, leading to overcrowding and competition for food.

Twenty two dolphin and porpoise species are also under threat, as oceans become more acidic due to more of the greenhouse gas CO2.

Marine Turtles

THESE have been around for 100 million years but five of the seven species are near extinction now due to warmer temperatures. The sex of babies is determined by heat-and many more females are being born than males. Also, severe storms are damaging nests.

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