The news also isn’t good for reindeer, but in their case satellite imagery also gave some small grounds for hope.

Taimyr reindeer form the largest herd of wild reindeer in the world. They live in northern Russia, and are now moving even farther north, possibly to escape warmer weather and mosquitos, said Andrey Petrov, an associate professor at the University of Northern Iowa. That means more vegetation is destroyed in the areas where the animals end up, he said, though he noted that the plants are able to bounce back even from this higher-intensity grazing.

Nevertheless, reindeer populations are declining all over the world, “in some places catastrophically,” Petrov said.  Taimyr has seen a 40% drop to 600,000 animals since the year 2000, he said.

In the US, meanwhile, more droughts will lead to falling numbers of mule deer and, as a result, the mountain lions that hunt them, said ecologists from Utah State University.

As the incoming US president begins to chart a course that relies on oil companies executives and climate change deniers at its core, there’s little cause for hope the country will help address the underlying causes of the animals’ decline.

📬 Sign up for the Daily Brief

Our free, fast, and fun briefing on the global economy, delivered every weekday morning.