Climate change leading cause of biodiversity loss in U.S.

Climate change is the largest threat to ESA-listed species, surpassing other drivers like land use change, pollution and others. In a study published in BioScience, researchers set out to determine what threat was most pervasive for U.S. species. They examined hazards listed in the Endangered Species Act, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and other climate sensitivity assessments, including climate change, land and sea use change, species overexploitation, pollution and invasive species. After studying 2766 imperiled species in the U.S. and its territories, researchers found that climate change affects 91% of species listed under the ESA. Most of the species faced multiple hazards at once, and corals, bivalves and amphibians faced the most threats.

Read the study in BioSience.