Nature- What’s In and Out in the Coming Year(s)

One of my favorite columns in The Washington Post at New Year’s is its what’s in/what’s out list, such as this one I’m making up as a draft:

In- Caitlin            Out- Bruce
In- Tesla              Out- Hummer/other road tanks
In- Washington         Out- Redskins
In- Geothermal         Out- Strip mining
In- Smart buildings    Out- Buildings

In a post couple of months ago I worried about Rupert Murdoch’s acquisition of National Geographic magazine. Would he bring the ax down on environmental issues that might impugn, directly or indirectly, the fossil fuel industry, for instance? The evidence so far: not to worry. (This issue was well-baked before the sale went down, to be sure.)

Last week’s cover is reproduced here. “Cool It. The Climate Issue.” One beautifully photo-illustrated piece is “Who Will Thrive?” Sub-titled: “As the world warms, which animals may suffer and which may prosper isn’t clear-cut.” So, here’s the list of what’s likely in and out:

In- Greater Yellowlegs (a bird)    Out- Woodland Caribou
In- American Bullfrog              Out- Artic Fox
In- Merriam's Kangaroo Rat         Out- Spectacled Eider (duck)
In- American Dog Tick              Out- White-Fronted Lemur
In- Bull Trout (maybe)             Out- Peninsular Pronghorn
In-                                Out- Chinstrap Penguin
In-                                Out- Bengal Tiger 

These named animals are just a few aboard photo journalist Joel Sartore’s ark, the aptly-named National Geographic Photo Ark.

Biodiversity in a major downtrend; in the oceans, everywhere…due to global warming. What will the upcoming Paris climate summit bring?