--- title: Climate Change Causes Extinction in Many Ecosystems description: Research published in PLOS Biology suggests that nearly half of the species that attempt a move wind up extinct in that area canonical: https://time.com/4595361/climate-change-extinction-animals/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-12-08T19:13:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T02:12:53.944Z article:section: Science og:title: Climate Change Causes Extinction in Many Ecosystems og:description: Research published in PLOS Biology suggests that nearly half of the species that attempt a move wind up extinct in that area og:url: https://time.com/4595361/climate-change-extinction-animals/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltadd484f33bdffe5e/6988b257524fc0fecbdfa7b0/rainforest-extinction-climate-change.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2119 og:image:height: 1192 og:image:alt: rainforest extinction climate change og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Climate Change Causes Extinction in Many Ecosystems twitter:description: Research published in PLOS Biology suggests that nearly half of the species that attempt a move wind up extinct in that area twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltadd484f33bdffe5e/6988b257524fc0fecbdfa7b0/rainforest-extinction-climate-change.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How Climate Change Is Leading to an 'Ecological Recession' > Sponsored content. 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Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=1fc809ee-abee-4b41-ad46-795f655de8d6&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1)  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Dec 8, 2016 7:13 PM UTC  Fiji crested iguana on rainforest vine Fiji crested iguana on rainforest vine Auscape—Getty Images/Universal Images Group  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Dec 8, 2016 7:13 PM UTC Scientists have published a number of studies observing how plants and animals shift their range slightly toward cooler temperatures in response to global warming. The hope is that even as the global warms, wildlife may be able to adapt simply by moving. But new [research](http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2001104) published in the journal _PLOS Biology_ suggests that nearly half of the species that attempt such a move wind up extinct in that area, unable to adapt fully to a new habitat. The results suggest that moving habitats may not be an effective adaptation method in the coming decades as the Earth continues to warm by several multiples of what has already occurred, researchers behind the study say. The scientists found a pattern of extinction across a wide variety of climate and habitats, though the phenomenon harms some areas more than others. Tropical species are among the hardest hit with 55% facing local extinction following a move compared to just 39% of their counterparts in temperate environments, according the study. **Read More:** [Why Restoring Nature Could Be the Key to Fighting Climate Change](http://time.com/4070683/nature-climate-change/) Humans may be harming the ability of species to adjust beyond causing the planet to warm, the study says. Agriculture, man-made structures and other urban developments remove potential habitats and block potential paths to disperse. The study joins a growing list of [research](http://time.com/4476487/conservation-earth-protected-land-biodiversity/) across the globe showing a decline in biodiversity, a measure of the different plant and animal species in a given area. A study published in the journal _Science_ earlier this year found that biodiversity has fallen to unsustainable levels across more than half of the world’s surface. **Read More:** [Nearly 15% of Earth’s Land Is Now Protected — but That’s Not Enough](http://time.com/4476487/conservation-earth-protected-land-biodiversity/) Researchers say the collapse of local ecosystems due to biodiversity loss is about more than just saving animals. Ecosystems support humans in a variety of ways from pollination and pest control necessary for agriculture. Trees and plants also hold carbon dioxide that would [otherwise contribute](http://time.com/4070683/nature-climate-change/) to climate change. “Decision-makers worry a lot about economic recessions,” [said](http://time.com/4404981/biodiversity-study-human-welfare/) author Andy Purvis, a professor at the Natural History Museum in London, earlier this year. “But an ecological recession could have even worse consequences—and the biodiversity damage we’ve had means we’re at risk of that happening.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4595361/climate-change-extinction-animals/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4595361/climate-change-extinction-animals/"},"headline":"How Climate Change Is Leading to an 'Ecological Recession'","datePublished":"2016-12-08T19:13:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T02:12:53.944Z","description":"Species can't adapt in time","url":"https://time.com/4595361/climate-change-extinction-animals/","keywords":["climate change","Environment","animals"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltadd484f33bdffe5e/6988b257524fc0fecbdfa7b0/rainforest-extinction-climate-change.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltadd484f33bdffe5e/6988b257524fc0fecbdfa7b0/rainforest-extinction-climate-change.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"rainforest extinction climate change","caption":"rainforest extinction climate change","creditText":"Auscape—Getty Images/Universal Images Group","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/climate-change/","name":"climate change"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4595361/climate-change-extinction-animals/","name":"How Climate Change Is Leading to an 'Ecological Recession'"}}]}] ```