Climate Change Threatens 60 Percent of the World's Fish Species

"Fish are so important for human nutrition, so this study makes a strong case for protecting our ecosystems and natural environments."

Slow Boil

New research suggests that climate change threatens to wipe out significantly more species of fish than previously thought.

If average global temperatures rise by five degrees Celsius — that'd be a global warming nightmare scenario — then New Scientist reports that 60 percent of all fish species could go extinct by the year 2100. It's grim news, as previous studies predicted that fish would be far more resilient.

Not The Younglings!

Other research gauging the impact of rising water temperatures on fish populations focused exclusively on how well adult fish would be able to adapt. Based on those measurements alone, New Scientist reports that scientists expected only five percent of fish species to die off under the same conditions.

But the new study also takes fish larvae, embryos, and other stages in the fish life cycle into account. And in those phases, the fish are far more vulnerable to higher temperatures.

"This is casting light on a life phase that has been largely ignored," Hans-Otto Pörtner of the Alfred Wegener Institute told New Scientist.

Planning Ahead

Thankfully, the year 2100 is still pretty far away, and ambitious efforts to limit climate change could mean many of those species are spared.

"We can say 1.5 [degrees] is not paradise, there will be changes," Pörtner told New Scientist. "But we can limit those changes if we manage to stop climate change. Fish are so important for human nutrition, so this study makes a strong case for protecting our ecosystems and natural environments."

READ MORE: Climate change will make world too hot for 60 per cent of fish species [New Scientist]

More on extinction: Scientists: Human Extinction Is Extremely Likely