Wildlife populations have declined by 73% since 1970, and other nature and climate stories you need to read this week
Orangutans are one of the thousands of critically endangered species on the IUCN Red List. Image: REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
- This weekly round-up contains the key nature and climate news from the past week.
- Top nature and climate news: Nature populations in decline; Ocean warming has nearly doubled since 2005; Hurricane Milton damages Florida's west coast.
1. Size of wildlife populations falls by 73% since 1970
Nature is disappearing.
That's the key takeaway from the Living Planet Report 2024 from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Across 5,495 vertebrate species, a decline of 73% between 1970 and 2020 has been reported.
Among the most affected are freshwater populations, which have declined by 85%, followed by terrestrial (69%) and marine populations (56%).
A 73% decline in wildlife population sizes over the past 50 years is shocking and must be a wake-up call.
—Tanya Steele, Chief Executive, WWF-UK”As these populations decline, it creates a cascade effect on our planet as the ecosystem services they support are no longer available, which decreases ecosystem resilience, from pollination to nutrient recycling.
The report identifies key tipping points in these ecosystem collapses:
- The mass die-off of coral reefs would destroy fisheries and storm protection for coastal communities.
- The collapse of the subpolar gyre, a circular current south of Greenland, would change weather patterns in Europe and North America.
- The melting of ice sheets would cause sea level rise, while large-scale thawing of permafrost would release vast amounts of greenhouse gases.
Despite this outlook, the report offers pathways to meet United Nations Sustainable Development Goals relating to biodiversity and tackling the climate crisis. These range from nature conservation to the inclusion of Indigenous communities with knowledge of the natural world and how to restore nature.
2. Ocean warming has nearly doubled in the past 20 years
Ocean warming has nearly doubled since 2005, according to the latest Ocean State Report from Copernicus.
Previously, the long-term rate of warming was at 0.58 watts per square metre, which has increased over the past two decades to reach 1.05 watts per square metre.
The rise in ocean heat content – the amount of heat, measured as energy, stored in the ocean from the surface to its deeper layers – seems to be a trend in all regions of the globe, the report says.
Significantly more marine heat waves, algal blooms and acidification events are also now being seen around the world.
Higher ocean temperatures also increase the likelihood of more intense tropical storms, such as Hurricane Helene and Milton, which have hit areas of the US over the past few weeks.
3. News in brief: Other top nature and climate stories this week
Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida's west coast on 9 October, leaving millions without power and causing significant property damage and loss of life, The Guardian reports.
The UK government's climate watchdog, the Climate Change Committee, has appointed Emma Pinchbeck, the current head of Energy UK, as its new chief executive.
Foreign aid for fossil fuel projects has quadrupled from $1.2 billion in 2021 to $5.4 billion in 2022, according to a report from the Clean Air Fund.
Carbon removal will not help to avert climate catastrophe if the world fails to limit warming to 1.5C, new research published in Nature claims, because it will not mitigate other aspects of climate change, including sea level rises and changes in ocean circulation. The authors said ambitious emissions reductions are the key to effectively reducing the risks from climate change.
Energy-related CO2 emissions are forecasted to peak this year, according to a report from DNV, due to falling costs for renewable sources which are encouraging less fossil-fuel-based power generation.
River flows fell to an all-time low last year due to record heat, with the Mississippi and Amazon River basins most affected, says a report from the World Meteorological Organization.
How is the World Economic Forum fighting the climate crisis?
4. More on the nature and climate crisis on Agenda
Members of the World Economic Forum's Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders have shared an open letter to world leaders outlining four policy asks of regulators and policy-makers to improve the business case for climate action and spur investment. Given that 'every fraction of a degree counts in the race to net zero', it emphasizes that we need transformative policies and actions to stand a chance of winning it.
Countries have to update their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by February under the terms of the Paris Agreement. But what are NDCs and why do they matter for meeting net-zero climate targets?
If the world is to meet its coal phase-out commitments, innovative financing and strong policy support are crucial for making the transition. Older coal plants should be phased out quickly, while younger plants can be repurposed or retrofitted to lower emissions, write Chris Stephens, Xinying Tok and Nancy Zhuang of the Carbon Trust.