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May 25, 2025
Wild animals facing ‘existential crisis’ with growing climate change: OSU study
Oregon State University’s William Ripple is leading an analysis that shows more than 3,500 animal species are threatened by climate change.
CORVALLIS, Ore. — An Oregon State University scientist says climate change is leading to an “existential crisis” for Earth’s animals.
Professor William Ripple and a team of researchers analyzed data sets that show climate change is threatening 3,500 species, including blue whales and a half-dozen seal species. They also consider pandas, cheetahs, monkeys, zebras, prairie dogs, elephants and thousands of other animals as threatened.
Researchers say mass mortality events, including a die-off of billions of intertidal invertebrates during 2021’s heat dome in the Pacific Northwest, show how vulnerable wild animals can be to the changing climate and how important it is to study those effects.
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“People are often aware of what’s going on in their area,” said Jillian Gregg, an ecologist with Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Associates, involved in the study, “but if we could have a database where as these die-offs are happening, and they’re entered into the database, so we have a broad spectrum understanding about what’s going on, would also be very helpful.”
Researchers found jellyfish, corals and centipedes are some of the creatures that appear particularly vulnerable, since many invertebrates have limited mobility and can’t get away from adverse conditions.
They said that climate change can lead to extreme events like heat waves, wildfires and droughts, and in turn, lead to mass mortality events for animals. The researchers added that reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting ecosystems, which help absorb CO2, are some of the best steps to protect wildlife.
