Field Notes from a Catastrophe Ch. 4 "The Butterfly and the Toad"

Elizabeth Kolbert

The Comma butterfly has, in the past 4 decades, expanded its habitat northward. The same is true for most butterfly species in England.

A breed of mosquito has been shown to have had its genes changed by climate change: its mating season has been altered due to global warming.

The golden toad, once found in a single biological "island" in the cloud forest of Costa Rica has gone extinct due to global warming.

As the earth warms, up to 50% of species could go extinct.