Many animals and plants unique to the world’s most scenic natural places face extinction if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, according to a new study published in the journal Biological Conservation.
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Climate change will negatively affect most native and endemic species — those that are only found in very specific places.
In particular, the analysis shows that all endemic species from islands and more than four out of five endemic species from mountains are at high risk of extinction due to climate change alone.
If the planet heats by over 3°C, then a third of endemic species living on land, and about half of endemic species living in the sea, face extinction. On mountains, 84% of endemic animals and plants face extinction at these temperatures, while on islands that number rises to 100%.
Endemic species threatened by climate change include lemurs, which are unique to Madagascar, and the snow leopard, one of the most charismatic animals of the Himalayas.
They also include important medical plants such as the lichen Lobaria pindarensis, used to alleviate arthritis.
However, remaining within the climate goals of the Paris Agreement — which aims to keep global heating well below 2°C, ideally at 1.5°C, compared to a baseline — would save the majority of species.
