Logging threatens at least 4,049 species worldwide, more than twice as many as climate change does. | Photo: Derek Severson, some rights reserved
Climate change is dangerous, and it's happening now. It threatens wildlife and the ecosystems they live in. It will make life harder for billions of people, with the greatest harm hitting the world's poorest people. It may make some parts of the world uninhabitable for humans, and will almost certainly drive many species to extinction.
But there are a half-dozen other environmental threats that are even worse.
That's according to a study published this month in Nature, generally considered the world's most respected scientific journal. According to the study, which lists ten kinds of human-caused environmental damage and ranks them according to the number of wildlife species they now threaten, climate change comes in at just seventh place behind things like logging, farming, and urban development.
--
--
In the study, headed up by University of Queensland graduate student Sean Maxwell, researchers studied the threats to 8,868 species around the world currently listed as either Threatened or Near Threatened in the Red List of Threatened Species maintained by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Species included in the study ranged from birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians to sea anemones, isopod crustaceans, conifers, flowering plants, clams, most types of fish, and jellyfish.
When a species is designated as Threatened or Near-Threatened on the Red List, the listing includes a citation of the types of threats facing causing that species problems. Maxwell and his colleagues tabulated those threats to each of the almost 9,000 species and ranked them in ten large categories, according to the number of species each threat affected.
Here are those big threats, in descending order of harm:
Overexploitation, including logging, fishing, hunting, and gathering of plants: 6,241 species, 71.8 percent of the total
Agriculture, including farming, livestock raising, and aquaculture: 5,407 species, 62.2 percent
Urban development, including residential, industrial-commercial, recreation, and tourism: 3,014 species, 34.7 percent
Invasion and disease, including invasive species, problematic native species, and introduced genetic material: 2,298 species, 26.5 percent
Pollution, including air pollution, municipal waste, industrial and agricultural effluent: 1,901 species, 21.9 percent
System modification of natural ecosystems, including both fires and fire suppression, dams, and a few other things: 1,865 species, 21.5 percent
Climate change, including drought, habitat change, storms and extreme temperatures: 1,688 species, 19.4 percent
Human disturbance, including disturbance of affected species when people recreate, work, and wage war: 1,223 species, 14.1 percent
Transportation, including land, air, and sea: 1,219 species, 14.0 percent
Energy production, including oil and gas development, coal and uranium mining, and renewable energy development: 913 species, 10.5 percent.
Those percentages don't total 100 because many of the species examined are endangered by more than one of the threats. (Its probably worth mentioning that by introduced genetic material, Maxwell et al and the IUCN arent referring to genetically modified organisms, but rather the threat of rare species hybridizing with more common relatives, as is happening with the endangered California tiger salamander and the invasive barred tiger salamander.)
I did a little digging in the IUCN database, and California's beleaguered species reflect a mostly similar pattern of threats and their severity, but with climate change coming in in ninth place instead of seventh. Of 877 California species mentioned in the Red List, overexploitation threatens 172, urban development 110, agriculture 105, transportation 40, invasion and disease 40, system modification 38, energy production 36, pollution 24, climate change 23, and human disturbance 16.
And as in the rest of the world, many California species in trouble are beset by more than one threat. The federally Threatened desert tortoise (whose Red List entry was last updated 20 years ago) is hard-hit by disease and the raven, a problematic native; habitat loss to urban development; renewable energy production; and historic losses to collection as pets, a form of overexploitation. The Delta smelt is in trouble due to system modification in the form of water diversions, invasive species, pollution, and climate change. Logging and fire suppression each contribute to declines in the California spotted owl's population. And so forth.
Commercial, recreational, and subsistence fishing threatens 1,118 species worldwide. | Photo: Rebeca Anchondo, some rights reserved
If you're accustomed to thinking of climate change as the main peril facing life on earth, the notion that there are several pervasive environmental problems worse than climate change may be surprising. Climate change does imperil a lot of species, but overexploitation imperils more than three times as many. Logging alone, which is responsible for declines in 4,049 species, accounts for more than twice as much harm to wildlife species as climate change in all its forms.
That's especially sobering given that logging for biomass energy production is often touted as a partial solution to addressing climate change.
Even if you're not sure you care about things like isopods and sea anemones, the more charismatic species on the list are especially hard-hit by the old-school environmental threats. Three quarters of the mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and plants studied are threatened by overexploitation, agriculture, or both, with invasive species playing an important role in many of those declines.
We must take immediate a
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
06/05/2026
Polands Miecznik-class frigates are part of the largest contract in Polish shipbuilding history. (Image Credit: PGZ Stocznia Wojenna)...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Riedel Communications today announced the expansion of its leadership structure as part of a strategic initiative to strengthen both its operational management ...
06/05/2026
For nearly three decades, Veteran Production Sound Mixer and Five-time Emmy Award Winner Dirk Sciarrotta has helped define the sonic identity of the long-runnin...
06/05/2026
ZEISS CinCraft LensCore: Cinema Lens Looks for Compositing
Brie Clayton May 6, 2026
0 Comments
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a nove...
06/05/2026
Wisycom Solves Extreme RF Challenges Across Miles of Live Action for Gravity Med...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Narrative Entertainment has partnered with Encompass to deliver high-quality subtitling of its Great! network content using the Altitude Intelligence AI assiste...
06/05/2026
SipRadius, widely recognized for making content processing and connectivity secure and seamless, is proud to launch a dramatic new approach to AI content creati...
06/05/2026
When the broadband and media industry gathers at ANGA COM in Cologne from May 19 to 21, Big Blue Marble will be at the forefront. The international broadcast an...
06/05/2026
Cinegy GmbH, a leading developer of software-defined television technology, is proud to exhibit at MPTS for the first time. Visitors to the stand will discover ...
06/05/2026
Val Jeanty Receives 2026 Doris Duke Artist Award Jeanty, a composer, percussionist, and turntablist, is the fourth Berklee recipient of the prestigious award ...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
When live cycling races and international marathons stretch for miles across cities and countryside, there is no margin for RF failure in live broadcast. As Chi...
06/05/2026
Oberkochen/Germany, May 5, 2026
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a novel solution for creating physically based cinematic lens looks for visual...
06/05/2026
Wuppertal May 6, 2026
Riedel Expands Leadership Structure, Appoints Marc Engro...
06/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 6, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced its latest broadband innovations for ANGA COM 2026, highlighting its vision for a new e...
06/05/2026
Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman Emeritus, Fox Corporation on Ted Turner&...
06/05/2026
Friday 8 May on RT One and RT Player
Meet the NSPCA team caring for and protecting animals in need in this six-part series
Fly on the wall, six-part series...
06/05/2026
The race to build the world's most powerful AI factories demands networking ...
06/05/2026
How changes to proteins can alter drug interactions for new precision therapies Scripps Research team maps how chemical modifications to proteins affect drug bi...
05/05/2026
Experts from the world of academia, tech, business, politics and media convened for a Thomson Talks at the Cambridge Disinformation Summit in April. It's th...
05/05/2026
Three phones were hardwired for power and transmission to the truck; camera feat...
05/05/2026
The creative studio behind campaigns for the NBA, Fanatics Sportsbook & Casino, ...
05/05/2026
Nielsen has announced results from a co-viewing pilot program covering February&...
05/05/2026
viztrick AiDi, an on-device AI solution developed by Nippon TV, delivered global...
05/05/2026
ARRI has announced Omnibar, a battery-powered, IP65-rated multi-color LED linear...
05/05/2026
Imagine Communications has announced that France T l visions is the first broadc...
05/05/2026
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Bell Media today announced a multiyear agreement to broadcast and stream WNBA games in Canada beginni...
05/05/2026
SVG is proud to announce Warner Bros. Discovery's Techwood Studios in Atlant...
05/05/2026
With no operator required, AutoMic workflow automates talent identification on U...
05/05/2026
A crash in 2015 set the industry back, but this winter proved that drones are he...
05/05/2026
Another year, and more proof that Asia continues to shape some of the world's most exciting new sounds. This year's RADAR artists draw from deep local r...
05/05/2026
The Austin City Limits Music Fest 2026 lineup just dropped, and this year, Spoti...
05/05/2026
New drum machine book campaign incoming
Bjooks have announced that during Superbooth 2026, they will be launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund the product...
05/05/2026
Flagship all-in-one production bundle updated
The latest version of Native Instruments' flagship virtual instrument and plug-in bundle has just been ann...
05/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to host RF Testing Innovations Forum 2026, helping design engine...
05/05/2026
L3Harris provides communications, electronic warfare, sensors and mission systems that enable Virginia-class submarine crews to operate with confidence in conte...
05/05/2026
The company grew by 7.6% in net revenue and 16.3% in EBITDA, achieving a 33% inc...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
Logging threatens at least 4,049 species worldwide, more than twice as many as climate change does. | Photo: Derek Severson, some rights reserved 
