Half of animals face extinction

Animals, plants may vanish from many parts of the world unless action is taken, writes Douglas Main

AS scientists recorded the highest level of CO2 in human history, experts have predicted that unless greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced, about 50% of plants and one third of animals are likely to vanish from half of the places they are now found by 2080.

These losses could lead to local extinctions of species, according to Rachel Warren, a researcher at the University of East Anglia in England.