Study warns extreme weather could threaten wildlife habitats by 2050
Technology
A fresh study warns that by 2050, extreme weather such as heat waves, wildfires, droughts, and river floods could seriously threaten wildlife habitats around the world.
Researchers looked at almost 33,936 terrestrial vertebrate species across 794 ecoregions and found many will face big climate risks unless we rethink how we protect nature.
Cutting emissions could limit habitat threats
Heat waves alone could hit nearly three-quarters of these areas, while wildfires, droughts, and floods will add to the pressure, especially in places such as the Amazon, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
Past disasters (such as Australia's flying fox die-off in 2019-20) show how back-to-back extreme events can be devastating.
The good news? Cutting emissions now could limit these threats for most habitats.