Our culture believes life began in the oceans. Birds followed, and then the creatures on land. Finally, humans arrived as custodians of life in the sea, in the air, and everywhere else. A plant molecular biologist believes animals could inherit Earth if climate change renders us extinct
Why Julie Gray says Animals Will Inherit Earth
She made this observation during a conversation with Christine Ro of BBC Future. This was after they chatted about one of every four species facing extinction. So which creatures will be the last ones left standing, Christine Ro persisted.
“Oh I doubt it will be humans,” Julie Gray replied with a laugh. It’s more likely animals will inherit Earth. Her rationale is “humans reproduce agonizingly slowly and generally just one or two at a time”. Therefore organisms producing multiple offspring quickly will stand a much better chance of surviving climate change. She is professor of plant cell signaling at University of Sheffield, England.
However, Reality May Be Less Straightforward
Thinking behind climate change extinction centers on the extent to which the earth surface will warm, and how sea levels will rise. We cannot test our theories of vulnerability in the field. Therefore, we have to rely on algorithms. The ability of creatures to adapt quickly is thus an inexact science.
Cold-blooded animals have been historically slower to adapt. However, the greatest imponderable is how humans will react, how decisively, and by when. Jen Lau, a biologist at Indiana University Bloomington is more supportive of “non-native plants” making the last stand. Fossil records show that life has adapted to, and survived climate change in the past. The fact that we are still here gives us hope.
However Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, a soil biogeochemist at the University of California Merced pours cold water on this. “Cockroaches have survived every mass extinction event in history so far”, he says. So perhaps insects, not animals will inherit Earth.
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Biggest Natural Threats to Humanity’s Survival
Preview Image: Orangutan (Unknown Location)
