
Posted February 18, 2019 05:59:18 The world’s forests are being threatened by a new breed of predators.
The arrival of climate change, rising sea levels, and drought are creating a huge opportunity for humans to take advantage of this rare, but increasingly critical habitat.
But now a new threat is coming from the forest itself: climate change.
There are a number of factors at play.
One is the fact that the forests of Africa are being drained of their oxygen and nutrients by humans.
The resulting loss of the oxygen and nutrient supply will increase the severity of forest diseases.
Another is climate change itself.
In the tropics, as the planet warms, the forest’s ability to regenerate itself becomes even more limited.
In some places, like in Africa, it’s already hard to find enough forest to regenerate the land, and even to plant enough to restore it to what it once was.
So, the question now is whether the world will be able to recover its forests by planting more trees.
Or whether the planet will simply allow the forests to be left alone as the effects of climate are felt throughout the world.
As we speak, scientists are developing ways to capture carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
And as the climate changes, we’re going to see more species disappear from the planet, as populations and food supplies dwindle, and more forests are destroyed.
At the same time, as temperatures rise, the forests around the world are getting warmer.
That’s not a good thing, but the consequences could be even worse.
For many years, the idea of turning back the clock on our changing climate has been something of a fantasy, and in fact, it hasn’t happened for many decades.
But in recent years, as greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow, the urgency to act has only grown.
What’s happening in Africa is happening elsewhere around the globe, too.
This story was produced by The Globe and Mail’s Science Friday.