climate canary
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Similar to the miner's canary, from which the term is derived.
Noun
[edit]climate canary (plural climate canaries)
- A species that is affected by an environmental danger prior to other species, thus serving as an early warning system for the other species with regard to a danger.
Usage notes
[edit]- Chosen as the most useful word of 2006 by the American Dialect Society.