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The rabbit (or is it a hare?) in today’s strip wants the cockroach to take a bullet and be the 1 in 10 species to go extinct. But, thankfully for the cockroach, it doesn’t work that way.

Here’s what I understand about a new, comprehensive study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS):

• Lots of previous studies have made predictions about the risk of extinction that species face specifically due to climate change
• Since that time, more recent studies have observed dwindling species populations
• New research conducted by the University of Exeter combines the first two groups of studies to confirm that the “climate change” species are, in fact, in as bad a shape — or worse — than the original estimates

The new research predicts one in 10 species will be extinct by 2100 if climate change continues on its current course. Of course, it seems like we often hear that climate change will probably be WORSE than we expect! YIKES!.

The study’s lead author Dr Ilya Maclean says, “It is time to stop using the uncertainties as an excuse for not acting.”

Extensive coverage from PhysOrg.com

Coverage from Time Magazine and Science Daily