As you approach the equator, the variety of life increases, due to the sped up evolutionary clock. When studying the great diversity of trees in Peru, Miles Silman noticed that the trees are also migrating due to the climate change. Some tree plots (areas of the forest with similar temperature, humidity, and species) moved as much as eight inches higher in elevation to adapt to the warming climate. Chris Thomas, a biologist at the University of York, states, “Climate change alone is unlikely to generate a mass extinction as large as one of the Big Five… climate change on its own could generate a level of extinction on par with… ‘lesser’ extinction events”(160). This is an interesting point because it contradicts Kolberts idea of human activity creating the “Sixth Extinction.” However, she includes it because it shows that even if the extinction isn’t grand there is still going to be an extinction. This connects to the theme “Humans alter natural systems” because global warming is a man made phenomenon. Due to global warming, the climate is changing and it’s putting various species in danger because not all species can migrate and the ones that can’t adapt or find the climate best suited for them are going to disappear.
Global warming is most commonly seen as a threat to cold-loving species. As temperatures rise, the ice at the North Pole and South Pole will melt. Any living thing that depends on the ice will be faced with extreme challenges that could ultimately drive them to extinction. Kolbert points out that the poles are not the only places affected by global warming, and that other areas have much higher latitudinal diversity gradients. She discusses the work of scientists who have used measures of species-area relationship to model possible effects of global warming. The extent to which species are mobile and can relocate to new areas, in response to shifting climate conditions, is predicted to be a significant factor in possible species extinction. Returning to the idea of migrating trees, Even more difficult to estimate is the extent to which ecological communities of species will be able to tolerate disruptive changes.
In this chapter, Kolbert for the first time includes a solution. Kolbert states, “He has argues publicly that with better policing and well-placed reserves, many threats to biodiversity- illegal logging, mining, ranching- could be minimized”(170). I thought Kolbert was going to wait to the end to introduce a solution but this is the first glimpse at a solution. I totally agree with this idea also because I think the government has to start putting out more regulations to help the environment. Once laws are put out it changes the game because it forces people to care. We’ve seen with a plethora species that are about to go extinct get laws that protect them from getting hunted. However, what if we put similar regulations before they are even going endangered. Why do we wait until the species is about to go extinct to care?
As you approach the equator, the variety of life increases, due to the sped up evolutionary clock. When studying the great diversity of trees in Peru, Miles Silman noticed that the trees are also migrating due to the climate change. Some tree plots (areas of the forest with similar temperature, humidity, and species) moved as much as eight inches higher in elevation to adapt to the warming climate. Chris Thomas, a biologist at the University of York, states, “Climate change alone is unlikely to generate a mass extinction as large as one of the Big Five… climate change on its own could generate a level of extinction on par with… ‘lesser’ extinction events”(160). This is an interesting point because it contradicts Kolberts idea of human activity creating the “Sixth Extinction.” However, she includes it because it shows that even if the extinction isn’t grand there is still going to be an extinction. This connects to the theme “Humans alter natural systems” because global warming is a man made phenomenon. Due to global warming, the climate is changing and it’s putting various species in danger because not all species can migrate and the ones that can’t adapt or find the climate best suited for them are going to disappear. 
Global warming is most commonly seen as a threat to cold-loving species. As temperatures rise, the ice at the North Pole and South Pole will melt. Any living thing that depends on the ice will be faced with extreme challenges that could ultimately drive them to extinction. Kolbert points out that the poles are not the only places affected by global warming, and that other areas have much higher latitudinal diversity gradients. She discusses the work of scientists who have used measures of species-area relationship to model possible effects of global warming. The extent to which species are mobile and can relocate to new areas, in response to shifting climate conditions, is predicted to be a significant factor in possible species extinction. Returning to the idea of migrating trees, Even more difficult to estimate is the extent to which ecological communities of species will be able to tolerate disruptive changes.
In this chapter, Kolbert for the first time includes a solution. Kolbert states, “He has argues publicly that with better policing and well-placed reserves, many threats to biodiversity- illegal logging, mining, ranching- could be minimized”(170). I thought Kolbert was going to wait to the end to introduce a solution but this is the first glimpse at a solution. I totally agree with this idea also because I think the government has to start putting out more regulations to help the environment. Once laws are put out it changes the game because it forces people to care. We’ve seen with a plethora species that are about to go extinct get laws that protect them from getting hunted. However, what if we put similar regulations before they are even going endangered. Why do we wait until the species is about to go extinct to care? 
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