In a groundbreaking shift, new research finds that climate change is now the widest human-imported threat to the species ordered in the United States.
The study, led by colleagues working with Talia E. Niederman and a Wildlife Nonprofit Advocate, analyzes 2,766 species across the United States, listing their territory as at risk under the Endangered Species Species Act (ESA).
The team identified five major human-induced threats to these species based on the ESA list, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and other climate sensitivity assessments. These threats are Climate changechanges in land and marine use, species overexpression, contaminating, invasive species.
These threats often overlap, but 86% of ESA listed species face multiples, while climate change has emerged as the most widespread, affecting a whopping 91% of the species. This is the first time climate change has outperformed other threats, according to the research team.
Related: Climate change: causes and impacts
Scientists overwhelmingly agree that today’s global warming trends focus on humans, thanks to our emissions Greenhouse gas It goes into the atmosphere like carbon dioxide and methane.
“Inside that 6th evaluation reportthe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, made up of scientific experts from countries around the world, concluded that it is clear that the increase in atmospheric CO2, methane and nitrous oxide over the industrial age is a result of human activity, and that human influence is the major driver of many changes in which human influence is observed. atmospherethe sea, the extreme cold, the biosphere,” said NASA officials. Explainer of climate change.
These environmental changes change ecosystems at a pace that outweighs the adaptive abilities of many species, particularly for groups such as corals, bivalves and amphibians. A new study found that these species are particularly affected in the US
The authors of this study ask the authorities to “explicitly” [include] Climate sensitivity in ESA listing decisions and management plans: to ensure that conservation efforts explain the reality of the world of warming.
“We don’t need any further research to know that biodiversity faces multiple persistent threats,” the researchers wrote. New paperThis was published today (April 24th) in the journal Bioscience. “Responding to the five drivers of biodiversity loss in all affected taxa quickly is important to prevent further extinction.”
