If our species was a person, it might be that celebrity who’s achieved success far too young in life and has since gone ‘a bit off the rails’. In the modern era - the ‘Anthropocene’ - our activities are simultaneously driving human-induced climate change and biodiversity loss, with feedback loops worsening both crises. Clearing forests for emissions-producing agriculture or urban development, for example, causes biodiversity loss by destroying habitat for countless species. Since trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air and store carbon in their roots, leaves and trunks, deforestation also releases stored carbon dioxide, further accelerating climate change. This, in turn, increases temperatures and the likelihood of extreme weather events, which are catastrophic for humans and wildlife.

According to the 2019 Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Global Report, nature across most of the globe has now been significantly altered by multiple human drivers. Seventy-five percent of land has been significantly altered, while the average abundance of native species in most major terrestrial biomes has fallen by at least twenty percent. This decline has mostly taken place since 1900 and may be accelerating. Habitat degradation and loss, driven primarily by our food system, is the primary threat to species in each region, followed by overexploitation, invasive species, disease, and climate change. While many scientists believe we have already entered a sixth mass extinction event (the current rate of extinction is estimated to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than what it would be if humans weren’t around), current national climate commitments would lead to an average global temperature increase of almost 3°C by the end of the century, inevitably triggering multiple catastrophic tipping points.

In many parts of the world, human-induced climate change is already outpacing species’ ability to adapt. This is particularly true for those living in polar regions or sensitive ecosystems. While some fortunate species might be able to migrate, shift, and even expand their ranges, unmitigated climate change would see many others driven from their remaining habitats by processes like deforestation, acidification of oceans, desertification, and rising sea levels.