'Major transformation' ahead for Earth's ecosystems: study [View all]
30 AUG 2018
The Earth's forests, deserts, landscapes and vital ecosystems risk a "major transformation" in the next century due to climate change, international scientists warned on Thursday.
Some of these changes are already under way in the southwestern United States, where massive wildfires are destroying pine forests and transforming swaths of territory into shrubland.
In the next 100-150 years, these changes will likely extend to savannas, deserts, and woodlands, upsetting ecosystems and imperiling plant and animal life, particularly in areas like Europe and the United States, researchers warned in the journal Science.
"If we allow climate change to go unchecked, the vegetation of this planet is going to look completely different than it does today, and that means a huge risk to the diversity of the planet," said co-author Jonathan Overpeck, dean of the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan.
More:
https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/major-transformation-ahead-earths-ecosystems-study-doc-18q2be1
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