Climate change is officially the leading threat to imperiled species in the United States

This map of Earth in 2024 shows global surface temperature anomalies, or how much warmer or cooler each region of the planet was compared to the average from 1951 to 1980. Normal temperatures are shown in white, higher-than-normal temperatures in red and orange, and lower-than-normal temperatures in blue.

In a landmark shift, a new study has found that climate change is now the most pervasive human-caused threat to imperiled species in the United States, surpassing other long-standing hazards like habitat loss, pollution and invasive species for the first time.

The research, led by Talia E. Niederman and colleagues affiliated with the nonprofit conservation organization Defenders of Wildlife, analyzed 2,766 species across the U.S. and its territories listed as imperiled by the Endangered Species Act (ESA).