The world s climate patterns has always been highly dynamic. Recent decades, however, have seen new patterns, indicating more rapid changes than has been seen for thousands of years. For the first time in the history of our planet a single species is driving a significant shift in the global climate. International efforts are being focussed towards reducing the amounts of gas emissions, however climate changes have already begun, and the impacts will increase considerably over coming decades no matter how successful the efforts at emissions reductions.
Global biodiversity is under particular risk.
Already hemmed in by habitat loss, pollution and over-exploitation, species and natural systems are now faced with the need to adapt to new regimes of temperature, precipitation and other climatic extremes. Nature conservation in the new millennium has increasingly difficult challenges to face. No 4,558,302 and foreign counterparts.