Huge study documents changes from climate warming

A landmark new climate study released today reports that global warming is already changing the life cycles of thousands of animals and plants


While previous studies have looked at single phenomena or smaller areas, this is a new analysis on a continental scale looking at data that had not been previously assembled together in one spot, says lead author Cynthia Rosenzweig, a scientist at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York.

By analyzing data from each of the Earth’s seven continents and the oceans, the study paints a clear picture of a world that’s been undergoing rapid transformation in just the past few decades due to climate change.

“Humans are influencing climate through increasing greenhouse gas emissions, and the warming world is causing impacts on physical and biological systems attributable at the global scale,” Rosenzweig says. “These are things that are happening now, not projections of future changes.”

USA Today