Smithsonian.com, Nov 5, 2019: More than 11,000 signatories to a new research paper argue that we need new ways to measure the impacts of a changing climate on human society.
News Stories
Scientists Around the World Declare ‘Climate Emergency’
World scientists declare climate emergency, establish global indicators for effective action
A global coalition of scientists led by William J. Ripple and Christopher Wolf of Oregon State University says “untold human suffering” is unavoidable without deep and lasting shifts in human activities that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and other factors related to climate change.
Harness microbes for humanity’s future
Leading scientists issue a warning: microorganisms will shape our warming world.
Biodiversity Report Paints a Bleak Picture
Landmark study calls for urgent “transformative changes” to meet goals for conserving and sustainably using nature.
Hunting, Harvesting Leave Big Animals at Risk of Extinction: Study
U.S. News, Feb. 6, 2019: "Direct harvest for human consumption of meat or body parts is the biggest danger to nearly all of the large species with threat data available," said study corresponding author William Ripple. He's a professor of ecology at Oregon State University College of Forestry.
We are eating large animals into extinction
Popular Science, Feb. 6, 2019: “Humans have a long history of killing large animals, and it dates back thousands of years, and probably is why the mammoths and mastodons went extinct in North America,” said William Ripple, distinguished professor of ecology in the Oregon State University College of Forestry and co-author of a new study assessing the current state of big fauna.
Humans Are Eating Large Animals to Extinction
Psychology Today, Feb. 6, 2019: Detailed data show size matters when humans choose to kill other animals.
Direct killing by humans pushing Earth’s biggest fauna toward extinction
OSU Press Release, Jan. 30, 2019: One hundred forty-three species of large animals are decreasing in number and 171 are under threat of extinction, according to new research that suggests humans’ meat consumption habits are primarily to blame.
The killing of large species is pushing them towards extinction, study finds
The Guardian, Feb. 6, 2019: The vast majority of the world’s largest species are being pushed towards extinction, with the killing of the heftiest animals for meat and body parts the leading cause of decline, according to a new study.
'Super Predator' Humans are Eating the World's Biggest Animals Into Extinction
Newsweek, Feb 6, 2019: More populations of megafauna are threatened and have higher rates of decreasing populations than all other vertebrates put together, Dr. William Ripple, study co-author and distinguished professor of ecology at Oregon State University College of Forestry said in a statement.