It is ironic that Australia, one of the world's highest carbon emitters per capita, is giving up on a hard-won plan to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions (see Nature 511, 392; 2014) just as climate change could be about to claim one of its rarest and most iconic animals — the white lemuroid ringtail possum (Hemibelideus lemuroides).
The white possum was once abundant in cool rainforests on Mount Lewis in northern Queensland, but its population collapsed abruptly following a severe heatwave in 2005. Today, just a handful of individuals are left (see J. Chandler New Scientist Issue 2980, 42–45; 2014).
Tropical mountains are full of endemic species that have adapted to cooler local climates and are particularly vulnerable to heatwaves and other extreme weather associated with climate change (see go.nature.com/vqskfa).
It has therefore been suggested that the white possum might be a more sensitive indicator of climate change than the polar bear (W. Laurance New Scientist Issue 2690, 14; 2009). But first the temperature of its habitat must be stabilized so that its numbers can be restored.
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Laurance, W., Laurance, S. & Milne, C. White possums must stay cool to survive. Nature 512, 136 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/512136b
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/512136b