Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), well known for his view that "global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people," ended up worse for the wear after a Congressional hearing sparring match with the former Vice President and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), the chair of the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee (and thanks to Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action for the link).  Political theater aside, Senator Inhofe is increasingly lonely in his belief that the climate isn't changing quickly and that human-caused greenhouse gas emissions aren't the primary culprit.  The consequences of climate change for our native biological diversity are enormous, and it may pose the single largest threat to the ability of native plants and wildlife to survive the coming decades.

A 2003 Convention on Biological Diversity study outlined some of the major biodiversity threats posed by global warming.  Climate change will force many species in the United States to move northward whether that's an option or not.  Many of our most endangered plants, for example, will not have the option of shifting, especially those that are entirely dependent on specific, rare soil types.  Graham's penstemon, for instance, requires a very specific type of shale substrate and can't simply shift northward through different soil types to follow the shifting climate.  Similarly, mountain top species can't simply migrate downhill in order to start moving northward.  Species with restricted ranges - which includes the vast majority of endangered species here in our region - will be even more vulnerable to extinction than they are already.  Changes in the frequency, intensity, extent, and locations of erratic or extreme weather events will further heighten the risk.  Many suspect Colorado's prolonged drought is simply a precursor for what are likely to be longer and even more intense droughts in the coming years.  There are some potential links between the explosion of beetle-killed trees across the Rocky Mountain West and climate change.  The species most likely to do well are those that are already in great shape, and will almost certainly include a small number of weedy species, many non-native, that thrive in unstable environments.

The Bush administration's proposal to protect the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act has helped highlight what is a widespread and potentially devastating challenge, and for that we can thank the President (as well as our colleagues at Center for Biological Diversity, NRDC, and Greenpeace for forcing the issue).  At Center for Native Ecosystems, we will continue our efforts to protect key habitat for our most imperiled species, with a special eye toward also protecting the habitat they may need to shift with the shifting climate.  We are also taking a hard look at our own daily practices, assessing our energy use, committing to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and challenging all of our neighbors in the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado building to do the same.  Stay tuned for more on our climate change initiative.