WILDLIFE ranging from bluebells and bumblebees to snow leopards and emperor penguins is under threat from climate change, according to a new report.
Even the coffee plants which produce one of the world’s favourite brews are at risk from rising temperatures, WWF has warned.
The conservation charity is calling on world leaders meeting for COP26 climate talks in Glasgow in November to ensure action to cut greenhouse gas emissions to curb global temperature rises to 1.5C and limit the damage to nature and people.
WWF’s Feeling The Heat report warns that climate change is warming oceans and landscapes, and increasing the frequency of heatwaves, floods, droughts and wildfires, creating conditions that many species cannot cope with.
In the UK, puffins, mountain hares, bumblebees and bluebells are already feeling the heat, while overseas, species including sea turtles, Amazonian monkeys, frogs, coral and hippos are all under threat.
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The Scottish Greens have said the report must be a wake-up call for governments on the nature emergency.
The party’s environment spokesperson Mark Ruskell said: “Nature is declining at an unprecedented rate across the world and with one in nine Scottish species at threat, we are not immune.
“This important report must be a wake-up call to the Scottish and UK governments that we have to act now to restore our natural environment.
“We have missed simple opportunities for years, particularly when it comes to planning laws, protecting seas and targeting farming subsidies, and it’s clear we need to step up our efforts to restore Scotland’s nature, starting with legally binding nature recovery targets.”
Mike Barrett, WWF’s executive director of science and conservation, added: “This isn’t a far-off threat – the impacts of climate change are already being felt, and if we don’t act now to keep global warming to 1.5C, we will slide faster and faster towards catastrophe.”
The report said temperatures are already 1C above levels before the industrial revolution, and failing to curb global warming to 1.5C could spell catastrophic damage.
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But on current plans and pledges, the world is on track for temperature rises of 2.4C, with severe consequences for coastal communities and crops, as well as plants and animals already under pressure from other activity.
Global wildlife populations have fallen by an average of 68% since 1970, and the report calls for action to protect and restore habitats, and to transform farming and how the land is used.
This will help store carbon, boost wildlife and support communities, tackling both the climate and nature crises, the report argues.
It highlights 12 species at risk from climate change, including in the UK, where Atlantic puffins are being hit by more extreme storms and a reduction in their seafood diet due to warming seas.
Woodland bluebells could become rarer as warmer temperatures lead the plants to bloom out of sync, while bumblebees are at risk from overheating and mountain hares in the Scottish Highlands are keeping their white coat camouflage too long as winter snow cover reduces, putting them at higher risk from predators.
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