CO2: 416.75 ppmAs the climate in the American West grows hotter and drier, butterfly populations are disappearing, new research shows. Butterfiles, along with bees that are also in declines, are important pollinators, and scientists worry that their decline will harm crops and other plants.
Monarch butterflies migrating to Mexico's forests for the winter are down by 26% since last year.
Butterflies play essential role in pollinating wild plants and crops. Which makes a new study published in Science on Thursday such bad news. It shows the climate crisis is posing an existential threat to their survival, particularly in the American West.
The director general of WWF-Mexico urged governments and scientists to work on addressing the issue.
Monarch butterfly populations are endangered, to the point that the 1.2 million Western monarchs counted in 1997 plummeted to fewer than 2,000 in 2020. Here are ways we can help them survive.