Interview: Previous Warming Eras Hold Warnings On Extinctions

Anthony D. Barnosky, a paleoecologist who studies the earth’s climate history, can sum up his concerns about the current era of human-caused climate change in one phrase: Too much warming, too fast. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, the University of California, Berkeley, scientist discussed his fears that the planet’s fauna and flora — hemmed in by 6.5 billion people and facing steadily rising temperatures — will simply not be able to keep up with the pace of change, leading to large-scale extinctions. With humankind facing the prospect that, by century’s end, the earth will soon be hotter than it’s been in 3 million years, Barnosky described the scope of the challenges that lie ahead. He also outlined steps that can be taken to save as many species as possible, including expanding parks so animals and plants have room to migrate in the face of climate change. “Nature as we know it really is in trouble,” Barnosky warned. “There’s no way that a lot of species are going to be able to survive unless humanity consciously makes an effort to save them.”

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