Ongoing, rapid climate change presents severe challenges to many ecosystems and human societies through its impact on food crops, livability of shorelines, and the incidence and distribution of infectious diseases. Emerging information on ecological and evolutionary responses of individual species is providing critical insights into potential strategies for buffering vulnerable species against the risk of extinction. Such strategies, if pursued diligently, may be the best hope in buying time to develop a concerted, effective response to minimize human impact on the planet.
The essay authors are grateful to Kathryn Lord for her insightful comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript.