A perfect storm of climate change, extreme weather and pressure from human activity is threatening to collapse Earth’s most biodiverse ecosystems, according to a new study.
The study published this week mapped more than 100 locations where hurricanes, floods, heatwaves, droughts and fires have impacted tropical forests and coral reefs, which host a large share of global biodiversity and provide ecosystem functions used by millions of people.
Researchers said ongoing climate change is leading to an increase in frequency and magnitude of extreme climatic events in the tropics, which is leading to unprecedented negative ecological consequences.