Tag: Climate change

Wind power – a threat to birds, bats, and insects?
A bird in an agricultural landscape in front of wind turbines: Local risks are weighed against global climate and biodiversity effects. ( © Canva Pro)

Between wildlife conservation and climate protection: Does wind power harm birds, bats and insects?

Wind turbines are a key pillar of the energy transition. They generate electricity without burning fossil fuels and therefore help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and curb climate change. During operation they produce neither CO₂ emissions nor air pollutants, require little water, and today rank among the most cost-effective forms of electricity

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Caribou in North America
As tundra lichens disappear and temperatures rise, caribou are increasingly under pressure. Their populations have fallen by 65 percent in recent decades. (© Dean Biggins (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Arctic: Why the ice is melting and CO₂ emissions are rising

The Arctic, once a stable store of organic carbon, is now releasing more carbon dioxide (CO₂) than it absorbs. According to the latest NOAA Arctic Report Card 2024, thawing permafrost, increased microbial activity, and more frequent wildfires are chiefly responsible for this development. The Arctic, which long acted as a

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11 animals that have become extinct in the last 50 years
In the last 50 years, we have lost numerous animal species forever – a testament to the destructive consequences of how we treat nature.

11 animals we lost in the last 50 years

The extinction of animal species is one of the most tragic consequences of human interference in nature. It not only means the irreversible loss of unique living beings, but also the collapse of ecosystems whose stability depends on these species. Estimates suggest that around 500 to 1,000 known animal species

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Truffles (Gallacea scleroderma) and moas
Gallacea scleroderma: a truffle-like fungus endemic to New Zealand whose spores were once dispersed by moas and which plays a central role in the forest ecosystem. (© Zac Sanson, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

What links extinct moas, colorful truffles, and climate change?

New Zealand, known for its unique wildlife and flora, holds many secrets from the past. One of them was revealed by a recent study in Biology Letters: the extinct upland moas (Megalapteryx didinus) were not only majestic birds, but also played a central role in dispersing colorful, truffle-like fungi such

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African penguins
Africa's only penguin species, the African penguin (Spheniscus demersus), was uplisted to "Critically Endangered". The main threats are competition with the fishing industry and climate-driven changes in food availability. (© Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

IUCN Red List Update 2024: African Penguin and European Hedgehog Threatened with Extinction

The IUCN Red List update to version 2024-2, published on October 28, 2024, includes new assessments and status changes for many animals, trees, and plants. More than 1,000 species were newly assessed or reclassified on the Red List. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for

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Waldelefanten
Forest elephants in Minkébé National Park, Gabon, lost 78 to 81% of their population between 2004 and 2014 due to poaching and illegal ivory trade. (© Jean-Paul Boerekamps, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)

WWF Living Planet Report 2024: Global Wildlife Populations Have Declined by 73%

The recently published WWF Living Planet Report 2024 highlights the alarming state of global biodiversity. The decline in animal populations is drastic and threatens the ecological balance. Vertebrate species such as mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles have been particularly affected, with significant declines since the 1970s. Shrinking vertebrate populations

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Stephenschlüpfer
The Lyall’s wren extinct less than ten years after humans settled Stephens Island. It is considered a classic example of the extinction of an island endemic with no natural defense mechanisms against invasive predators. (© Vertebrate Zoology Curator, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Human-Caused Species Loss: Global Impact Far Greater Than Expected

A study published in early October in the journal Science suggests that human-caused species loss has far-reaching consequences that were previously underestimated. The scientists highlight the fact that the extinction of bird species has not only wiped out ecological roles but also billions of years of unique evolutionary history. In

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Key Largo tree cactus (Pilosocereus millspaughii)
The Key Largo tree cactus is now considered extinct in the United States. Small populations of this very rare plant species still exist in the Bahamas, Haiti, Cuba, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. (© Luke Padon, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Loss in the USA: Key Largo tree cactus wiped out by climate change

Scientists have documented the first local extinction of a species caused by climate change and the associated rise in sea level. The Key Largo tree cactus (Pilosocereus millspaughii), which can grow up to seven meters tall and occurred in the U.S. only on the Florida Keys, has disappeared. This rare,

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Polar bears could soon become extinct
If warming exceeds two degrees above pre-industrial levels, the southern and western Hudson Bay polar bear populations face local extinction. (© Arturo de Frias Marques, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Global warming: Polar bears could go extinct as early as the 2030s

The future of polar bears in Hudson Bay, Canada, looks bleak: a new study warns that the bears could disappear regionally as early as the 2030s if global warming continues to rise and crosses critical thresholds. Researchers from several North American and international institutions warn that a global temperature increase

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