How scientists feel about climate change: Prof Lesley Hughes

In a letter speaking about her feelings on climate change, Prof Lesley Hughes, from the Department of Biological Science at Macquarie University and a founding member of the Australian Climate Council, voices her concerns about the world’s wildlife and biodiversity.

Scientists from across Australia have written letters on how they fail about climate change, which have been published on the website Is This How You Feel? Other scientists have written about their frustrations around lack of action and the damage being wrought on the planet.

Hughes writes:

I became a professional biologist because I just loved animals – watching them, catching them, studying them. I was the kid whose bedroom was full of jars and boxes of things that crawled and slithered and hopped. The notion that I could actually be paid for doing this, as an adult, was truly wonderful.

But where to for our species in the future? Our biodiversity is our life support system, each species a precious support system, each species a precious, irreplaceable heritage item. We have harvested and cleared and plundered and spoiled. Every year our natural capital declines a bit more as we squander our heritage and rob our descendants.

And now we have this new threat, likely to be the biggest one of all.

Climate change is likely to become the biggest species killer ever, impoverishing our planet and our race.

We have so much to lose.

To read the rest of the letters submitted to Is This How You Feel?, click here.

Photo: ben britten via Flickr 

Further reading:

How scientists feel about climate change: Alex sen Gupta

How scientists feel about climate change: Prof Brendan Mackey

New project asks scientist how they feel about climate change

Majority of public unaware of scientific climate consensus

Climate change scientist face ‘credibility challenge’