A warm welcome? The wildlife visitors warning of climate disaster
January 2, 2020
The Guardian spotlights the continued migration of species as the climate warms, transforming ecosystems and introducing exotic visitors, new competition, new predators, and new challenges for conservation in the coming decade.
A warm welcome? The wildlife visitors warning of climate disaster
Mediterranean egrets balancing on the backs of cows, multicoloured moths the size of a human hand, and impossibly exotic bee-eaters hawking for insects under English skies. All are here as a direct consequence of the climate crisis, which has allowed continental European species to extend their ranges northwards, and then make the leap across the Channel to gain a foothold in southern Britain.
This article in the Guardian alerts us to the harbingers of our new reality in an era of climate change, wondering about the fate of all but the most adaptable of species with more frequent and extreme weather events such as droughts, storms, and floods.