Human-induced climate change is transforming natural habitats, their species diversity, and species composition. Habitat destruction and biodiversity loss are amplifying climate change, as they directly affect ecosystem functions and services, such as carbon storage. Biodiversity protection and climate change mitigation (as well as climate change adaptation) have strong synergies due to their many interactions — synergies that should be harnessed.

Climate and biodiversity — the term biodiversity encompasses three levels: 1. genetic diversity, 2. species diversity, and 3. diversity of habitats and ecological communities — are inextricably linked: on the one hand, human-induced climate change influences ecosystems and their biodiversity. On the other hand, human-caused habitat destruction is a key driver of climate change. Solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss must therefore be thought of in an integrated way and implemented systemically.

Find out how human-induced climate change affects biodiversity and how solutions that avoid conflicts between biodiversity protection, climate action, and other important land uses can be developed in the new CCCA Fact Sheet entitled "Climate Change and Biodiversity" by Sophia-Marie Horvath (BOKU University), Jana S. Petermann (University of Salzburg), and Florian Borgwardt (BOKU University).