Earth Equity News

Invasive Species and Climate Change Make a ‘Deadly Duo’. By David Fogarty, Reuters, 10/22/10. “Climate change is set to drive the spread of invasive plant and animals species, threatening forests, fisheries and crops, in a double blow to nature and livelihoods, a World Bank-funded report [Invasive Species, Climate Change and Ecosystem-Based Adaptation, PDF, 56 pp.] said on Friday. The study by Nairobi-based Global Invasive Species Programme says a warmer world, more extreme weather and higher levels of planet-warming carbon dioxide will give some species an edge, devastating ecosystems at sea and on land. ‘The estimated damage from invasive species worldwide totals more than $1.4 trillion annually -- 5% of the global economy,’ says the report issued on the sidelines of a major U.N. meeting in Japan aimed at combating the destruction of nature.”