It's been five years since Audubon magazine published our first special climate issue. Since then, the crisis has only worsened—and the need to act grown more pressing. That's why in this follow-up issue we chose to focus on solutions. As you can see from the below photo essay, Our Climate Crisis Today, people and wildlife are already suffering from the effects of climate change. But there's still time to take meaningful action. From the coasts of North Carolina and Maine to the Upper Mississippi River basin and the far reaches of Canada's boreal forest, we highlight people who are working hard to protect habitats and their wildlife from the worst of climate change.
In this issue, we also dive into Audubon's newest scientific report, Survival by Degrees: 389 Species on the Brink, which builds on our original climate study and provides even more detailed forecasts for birds in North America under various warming scenarios. The upshot? As many as 389 out of 604 species could be at risk if we don't substantially curb carbon emissions, starting now. And while two stories in this issue show how some companies and states are leading the way, we still have a long way to go. Thankfully, a diverse array of voices are helping us forge a new future, one in which we can prevent a worst-case scenario for birds and people alike—and you can help.