Final answer:
The statement regarding climate change's ability to overwhelm ecosystems and contribute to extreme events such as desertification, floods, coral bleaching, and drought is true. Climate change causes numerous environmental and societal impacts, including rising sea levels and biodiversity loss. Mitigating these effects requires a move towards cleaner energy sources.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement "Climate change can overwhelm the capacity of ecosystems to lessen the effects of extreme events and disturbance, such as desertification, floods, coral bleaching, and drought" is true. Global warming and climate change have a multitude of effects on the global ecosystem. These include, but are not limited to, the overwhelming of ecosystems leading to desertification, intensified floods, widespread coral bleaching due to rising sea temperatures, and prolonged periods of drought. Moreover, climate change contributes to the melting of polar ice caps and glaciers, brings about more frequent and intense weather extremes like hurricanes and wildfires, and exacerbates shifts in biodiversity and agriculture. Rising sea levels may produce climate refugees as people are forced to abandon their coastal homes. The increased temperatures can also cause shifts in the habits of terrestrial plants and animals, leading to a loss of biodiversity and significant changes in food production. Lastly, human influences on climate change, primarily through greenhouse gas emissions, further intensify these environmental impacts. As a result, it's crucial to mitigate the effects of climate change by reducing reliance on fossil fuels and transitioning to cleaner energy sources. Actions taken now will shape the severity of climate change impacts