Costa rica Quote by Elizabeth Kolbert
““A recent study of common frogs living near Ithaca, New York, for example, found that four out of six species were calling—which is to say, mating—at least ten days earlier than they used to, while at the Arnold Arboretum, in Boston, the date of peak blooming for spring-flowering shrubs has advanced, on average, by eight days. In Costa Rica, birds like the keel-billed toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus), once confined to the lowlands, have started to nest on mountain slopes; in the Alps, plants like purple saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia) and Austrian draba (Draba fladnizensis) have been creeping up toward the summits; and in the Sierra Nevada of California, the average Edith’s Checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha) can now be found at an elevation three hundred feet higher than it was a hundred years ago. Any one of these changes could, potentially, be a response to purely local conditions—shifts, say, in regional weather patterns or in patterns of land use. The only explanation that anyone has proposed that makes sense of them all, though, is global warming.””
About This Quote
Source Article: The New York Times, “The Climate Change Timeline,” 2023
Observations of earlier biological events across species and regions illustrate widespread ecological shifts caused by global warming.
In simple terms: Nature is changing dates because of climate change.
Key Takeaway
Act to reduce emissions and support adaptation.
Themes
environment
science
climate change
ecology
adaptation
Mood
concerned
urgent
informed
Type
scientific
informative
When to use this quote
- wildlife management
- conservation policy
- public health
- education
Key Concepts
global warming
phenology
ecosystem response
Questions to Reflect On
- What actions can individuals take to mitigate climate impact?
- How can policies address both global and local environmental changes?
A Different Perspective
Complex local factors can also influence timing, complicating attribution.
