Quantifying Climate Change Impacts on Global Biodiversity: A Meta-Analysis
Abstract
This meta-analysis synthesises data from 523 studies published between 2010 and 2025 to quantify the relationship between climate variables and biodiversity metrics across different ecosystems and taxonomic groups. Our analysis reveals that temperature increases of 1.5°C are associated with a 12% decline in species richness globally, with polar and tropical ecosystems showing the highest sensitivity. Marine ecosystems demonstrate faster response times compared to terrestrial systems. We identify critical thresholds beyond which ecosystem recovery becomes increasingly unlikely and propose a framework for prioritising conservation efforts under different climate scenarios.
Article History
Authors
Department of Geography, University College London, United Kingdom
e.thompson@ucl.ac.uk* Corresponding author
Funding
This research was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the World Wide Fund for Nature.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgments
We thank all contributing researchers who shared their datasets for this meta-analysis.