Extreme events could impact 36% of land animal habitats by 2085, says new study, Pg14

Key Highlights:

• A new study projects that 36% of land animal habitats could be impacted by multiple climate-driven extreme weather events by 2085.
• The study, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, analyzed the impact on nearly 34,000 vertebrate species under a medium-high emission scenario.
• By 2050, 74% of animal habitats could be exposed to heatwaves, 16% to wildfires, 8% to droughts, and 3% to floods.
• Biodiversity hotspots like the Amazon, tropical Africa, and Southeast Asia are expected to experience a sharp increase in extreme events.

Detailed Insights:

• The research highlights that extreme climate events are underestimated in conservation planning, emphasizing the need to consider abrupt changes.
• Reducing emissions to net zero could significantly limit the exposure of animal habitats to extreme events, preventing severe impacts.
• The study used climate projections, impact simulations, and species distribution data to assess the exposure risk to 33,936 terrestrial vertebrate species across 794 ecoregions.
• Extreme events can have devastating impacts, as seen in the 2019-20 Australian heatwave that killed over 72,000 flying foxes and the Pantanal wildfires that killed an estimated 17 million vertebrates.
• The intensification of extreme events due to climate change is outpacing the ability of many species to adapt within a short timeframe.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Biodiversity Hotspots: Regions with high concentrations of endemic species facing significant habitat loss.
• Net Zero Emissions: Achieving an overall balance between greenhouse gas emissions produced and greenhouse gas emissions taken out of the atmosphere.
• Climate Projections: Scientific estimates of future climate conditions based on various emission scenarios.