In 2009 I wrote about two diverse research studies, conducted on different continents, that demonstrated the poleward migration of animals in response to a warming climate. We now have a more exhaustive meta-study(1) that describes significantly faster migration toward the poles and toward higher elevations than previously reported. With 2,000 species included in the study, poleward migration in response to climate change was found to be an average rate of 17.6 kilometers (10.9 miles) per decade and the upwards rate of migration averaged 12.2 meters (40 feet) per decade. According to the Dr. Chris Thomas, lead investigator of the study,"These changes are equivalent to animals and plants shifting away from the Equator at around 20 cm (8 inches) per hour, for every hour of the day, for every day of the year. This has been going on for the last 40 years and is set to continue for at least the rest of this century” .
