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Climate change is causing more local extinction of temperate species than tropical species

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Climate change is driving loss of biodiversity worldwide, yet whether tropical or temperate species are more vulnerable to warming remains debated. Large-scale analyses of more than 5,100 plant and animal species show that climate change has caused more frequent local extinctions of temperate species than tropical species, overturning decades of previous studies.

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Fig. 1: Local extinctions have occurred more frequently of temperate species than tropical species.

References

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This is a summary of: Murali, G. et al. Temperate local extinctions from climate change are outpacing tropical extinctions. Nat. Clim. Change https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-026-02669-y (2026).

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Climate change is causing more local extinction of temperate species than tropical species.
Nat. Clim. Chang. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-026-02671-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-026-02671-4

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