In the first ever worldwide assessment of the impacts of global overheating on these rare ecosystems, scientists used maps of tree cover, forest condition, and climate data to assess how much of the world's temperate rainforests have already been impacted by human activity and how climate change would push some regions to the brink.
The results of their study which are published today (Tuesday 12 November) in the journal Earth's Future show that under the most pessimistic scenario, 68% of the world's temperate rainforest, and in some regions 90%, would be lost over the next few decades. Under current commitments to reduce fossil fuel emissions, 23% of the world's temperate rainforests will be lost. However, rapid action to halt fossil fuel emissions would reduce this loss to 9%, highlighting the urgent need to avert climate change.
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