


In 2022, the United Nations projected that roughly one million wild species were heading toward extinction due to human activity. Not all of these species are in danger of being wiped out due to climate change; pangolins, for instance, are also highly sought after for their meat and scales (used in traditional Chinese medicine), while sharks face problems because their fins are eaten, they are often caught by accident and they are misunderstood.
"There are still many species we have not described; many will go extinct undescribed."
Yet for many endangered animals, climate change is the major cause of their impending extinction. In a future world in which extreme weather conditions like floods, droughts, wildfires and hurricanes are normal — to say nothing of a constantly warming temperature — many of Earth's most charismatic creatures will simply have no where to go.
Even more tragic, many of the species lost will vanish without humans ever knowing they existed. In the words of Dr. Alice C. Hughes of the University of Hong Kong, "There are many species we have not even described yet. To put this in perspective a few weeks ago we were surveying Thai caves, and found an almost certainly new species of gecko. There are still many species we have not described; many will go extinct undescribed."
Salon reached out to experts to identify some of the most iconic animals that will — or already have — become victims of man-made climate change.



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African wild dogs




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