Climate change and extinction risk

Arising from: C. D. Thomas et al. Nature427, 145–148 (2004)); see also communication from Thuiller et al. and communication from Buckley & Roughgarden; Thomas et al. reply Thomas et al.1 have carried out a useful analysis of the extinction risk from climate warming. Their overall conclusion, that a large fraction of extant species could be driven to extinction by expected climate trends over the next 50 years, is compelling: it adds to the many other reasons why new energy policies are needed to reduce the pace of warming.