One third of Earth's species face extinction due to climate change
- Seventy-seven point six percent of Earth's land has become drier due to climate change over the last thirty years.
- Regions such as Europe, western United States, and central Africa are facing intensified environmental challenges, including wildfires and agricultural collapse.
- Immediate action is required to address carbon emissions and implement sustainable land and water management to prevent further ecological degradation.
In recent years, climate change has drastically altered the aridity of Earth's landscapes, with a landmark report from the United Nations revealing that a startling seventy-seven point six percent of the planet's land has experienced permanent drying over the past three decades. This alarming trend has led to severe repercussions, particularly affecting regions across Europe, the western United States, Brazil, eastern Asia, and central Africa, which are experiencing intensified wildfires, agricultural collapse, and even mass migrations. The report indicates that drylands are expanding significantly, now encompassing over forty percent of Earth's land, excluding Antarctica. The environmental shift is largely attributed to rising global temperatures that facilitate increased water evaporation and enhance the atmosphere's capacity to retain moisture. This transformation has culminated in formidable challenges for nearly three billion individuals and more than half of global food production, as they grapple with dwindling water resources and declining soil quality. Experts indicate that the ramifications are profound, threatening to critically deplete vital ecosystems and compromising overall agricultural viability. In the face of these dire circumstances, the authors of the report assert that proactive measures can mitigate future losses. They recommend strategies that include drastically reducing carbon emissions to curb further intensification of the aridity crisis, implementing improved monitoring of dry areas, and optimizing land usage and water management practices. By fostering greater resilience and cooperation among communities worldwide, the hope is to create sustainable solutions to combat the ongoing and looming threats posed by climate change. In conjunction with the findings on land aridity, related research reveals a stark prediction that a third of global species could face extinction by 2100 if steps to address climate change are not prioritized. Should global temperatures rise above established thresholds, particularly exceeding the Paris Agreement’s target, biodiversity will suffer substantially, especially among amphibians and species native to mountain and island ecosystems. This emerging understanding underscores a pressing need for targeted conservation efforts to safeguard the most vulnerable species and habitats around the globe.