The real pandemic

This picture of a little sea turtle hatchling racing toward the water before being eaten evokes the now terrifying possibility of wildlife collapse happening in a time frame not considered possible until now.

Climate change could result in a more abrupt collapse of many animal species than previously thought, starting in the next decade if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced, according to a study published this month in Nature.

The study predicted that large swaths of ecosystems would falter in waves, creating sudden die-offs that would be catastrophic not only for wildlife, but for the humans who depend on it.

“For a long time things can seem OK and then suddenly they’re not,” said Alex L. Pigot, a scientist at University College London and one of the study’s authors. “Then, it’s too late to do anything about it because you’ve already fallen over this cliff edge.”

Phase transitions are never linear, think the onset of ice on a pond, a day before the surface is fully covered, the surface of said pond is 50% ice-free. This, in effect, is what's happening with the rapid collapse of wildlife as global warming is accelerating at such a pace, animal populations can no longer adapt. Because of this, COVID-19 is not the real pandemic mankind is facing, climate change is.

Coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef. Scientists say recent bleaching events suggest that major die-offs in tropical seas are already underway.Credit...James Cook University Australia/Agence France-Presse