Rainforests are one of the world’s largest sources for carbon consumption and conversion through photosynthesis. With carbon emissions on the rise, the UN is targeting rainforests to combat the ever increasing amount of carbon emissions which seem to be the leading factor in global climate change. Not only will protecting rainforests from deforestation help fight rapid climate change, but it will also help protect tons of threatened animal and plant species. Rainforests are the most biodiverse biomes in the world and their destruction also leads to the extinctions of plants and animals. Protecting these rainforests and helping them grow will save animal and plant species while also combating rapid climate change.

The asteroid known as Chicxulub that wiped out the dinosaurs is said to have affected the Earth’s climate more than we had previously thought. During the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction, nearly 75% of Earth’s plant and animal species went extinct soon after the asteroid struck. The asteroid caused a lot of dust, sulfur, and carbon to rise into the atmosphere reflecting the sun's heat and light. Scientists first thought the temperature dropped about 50 degrees and stayed sub zero for most of a three year period after the initial impact. The new research states that 425 gigatons of carbon were released into the atmosphere after the impact which is more than all carbon emissions in 2014. The sudden increase in carbon would have lead to much colder temperatures and a quicker extinction rate.

Zika outbreaks in Ecuador were worsened by a strong earthquake and a strong El Nino. El Nino is a normal climate event that brings warm water and rain to the pacific coasts of South America. The warm water is optimal for mosquito populations to grow. Also, Ecuador was hit with a 7.8 earthquake leaving hundreds of thousands of people without proper sanitation. Lack of sanitation combined with perfect growing grounds for mosquitoes lead to the Zika outbreaks in Ecuador. 

As global temperatures continue to rise, scientists have begun to study the effects of rain with more abundant warm air. Warm air can hold more moisture and in areas where there is moisture, scientists have been able to observe increases in rainfall. However, scientist are now observing how the warm air is affecting rainfall in arid biomes like deserts. From a study by Universities of Bristol and Cardiff, researches have seen that the few intense storms that arid areas usually get are now getting becoming less intense. This is because these dry areas are actually getting more annual rainfall in more frequent less intense rain showers. 

Insect populations around the world have been decreasing dramatically and no one is sure why. Protected reserves in Germany have studied their insect populations in the middle of summer where their populations should be highest and found that they were in actually horrifyingly low. Similar trends have been observed in North America as well where bee and butterfly populations are nearing extinction. Even well regulated and protected reserves see these trends. Because of this, scientists are not able to find a clear answer as to what is causing the decrease. Changing climate, plant species, and animal species could answer it for some natural areas but wouldn’t answer how a special reserve could be having the same issues. The researchers only word of advice is to be cautious of their populations as time goes on.