Extreme periods of heat, fire, and drought will harm one-third of all animal habitats by 2085

By 2085, more than a third of land-animal habitats could face multiple climate-driven disasters due to rising warming. Stefanie Heinicke at Germany's Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research mapped locations where repeated climate shocks could converge. The concern is that different kinds of stressors might affect the same habitat within short periods, such as a fire or flood followed by a drought. High-risk areas include the Amazon basin, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Heatwaves are projected to impact 93% of current land-vertebrate range areas by 2085. Fire and drought are also expected to be major threats, with amphibians facing stronger drought exposure due to their reliance on wet environments.