How climate change drives biodiversity loss and how to counteract it

Five YUFE universities, University of Antwerp, University of Bremen, University of Carlos III of Madrid (UC3M), University of Eastern Finland (UEF) and Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun (NCU), have gathered researchers and experts from various fields that give an insight into their perspective on sustainability. The lecture series takes place online and in English. The participation is free of charge.

The earth currently experiences a loss of species richness – biodiversity – at an unprecedented speed. This biodiversity crisis also applies to Germany and other parts of Europe. The drivers of this change are manifold: the loss of natural habitats, more intensive land use, the application of pesticides and too many fertilizers, but increasingly also climate change. There is growing evidence that plants and animals are already responding to altered regimes of temperature and rainfall, and will increasingly do so in the near future.

The presentation will highlight the main changes in biodiversity and their underlying causes, using data from both long-term observations and experiments, looking at plants, but also birds, insects and other animal groups. Although the net effects of climate change on plants and animals are negative, some species may profit from the changes – and a conclusion of the talk will be that it is not too late to take counteracting measures to halt biodiversity loss.

Speaker:

Prof. Dr. Martin Diekmann (University of Bremen)

Registration, detailed programme and information about the speaker: //www.uni-bremen.de/kooperationen/hochschulkooperationen/yufe/give-earth-a-chance-paths-to-sustainable-living