‘Species are showing how flexible they are in adapting to climate change’ Premium

Species are showing how flexible they are in adapting to climate change, believes earth scientist Raghu Murtugudde

Iconic images of polar bears stranded on patches of floating sea ice is seared in our minds as a symbol of catastrophic global warming. A 2025 scientific report found that 84% of the world’s vibrant coral reefs have been bleaching white with temperature rise. And we know that the sixth mass extinction (this time, human-induced) is underway: for instance, the slender-billed curlew, a migratory waterbird that breeds in Siberia was recently declared extinct.

But reports have also pointed to thriving coral reefs in a two-kilometre-long stretch near the Kalpeni island in Lakshadweep. Scientists have also observed that wild animals and birds are adapting to climate change by moving to higher altitudes and latitudes. This gives hope to Raghu Murtugudde, an earth scientist emertius professor at the University of Maryland, US, and a visiting professor at the Kotak School of Sustainability, IIT Kanpur, who believes that by cutting out the “alarm” over climate change, we could learn more about biodiversity’s tenacity, to help protect them better.

Would those who see impending doom if the climate crisis isn’t addressed, disagree with the position you have taken on species’ adaptability rather than carbon mitigation?

My body of work, especially my writings and podcasts focus extensively on all aspects of mitigation. My scepticism about mitigation though has been about our inability to follow through even if we are big believers in climate change. Most climate scientists who holler about the climate crisis and the urgency of climate actions, live a normal life worrying about their incomes, families, house and cars.

I suggest a portfolio approach. We can all live within a specified carbon budget per year. Making people feel guilty or prohibiting certain activities is not going to work. My comments on species adaptability are only in the context of how we are going to tackle ecological impacts of global warming. Do we really need the ‘sixth extinction’ narrative with headlines screaming only about negative impacts? And that too without tracking how species are actually responding to climate change? Can we save species without knowing their adaptability limits? I think not. Making people anxious may not really help.

What do you mean when you say we should take ‘counter-intuitive responses’ seriously to save biodiversity from global warming?