The way of the possum: What one animal can teach us about global warming

Abstract

For the denizens of a tropical cloud forest, the perils of life soon become apparent high up on the escarpment of Mount Lewis, an ancient granite massif that soars 4,000 feet above mangrove swamps and the Coral Sea. Near the summit, gnarled trees rake through swirling mists. Antedeluvian rainforests like this once sprawled across some two-thirds of the Australian continent. Today, these biodiversity hotspots are mere relicts.