Amid growing climate-change doubts, animals provide evidence, and every state has a story

Animal behavior is providing signs of, and clues to, climate change. That's the point of the final story in a three-part series in the Charlotte Observer, "Climate of change: the reshaping of North Carolina." (National Geographic Society photo)

"Polls show Americans are increasingly dubious about global warming, even as most climate scientists say they're ever more sure that it's real," Bruce Henderson writes. "Oblivious to science and politics, Carolina wrens (above) and cedar waxwings seem to signal climate change with their wings." He reports that 18 of the 20 most common backyard bird species "have shifted their winter ranges northward over the past 40 years, national data show. The average distance was 116 miles." (Read more)

Just about every state and locality has a climate-change story. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is illustrating the state-by-state impacts, and response to them, with a short story about each state. The 50-part series began on April 22, Earth Day Today's is about Ohio. For the stories, click here.