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More than a third of all trees species at risk of extinction, global assessment finds
More than a third of all tree species worldwide face extinction, threatening ecosystems, plants, animals and economies around the world, experts warned Monday.
In all, 38% of trees are at risk, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature global assessment. They face threats from climate change, deforestation, invasive species, pests and disease in almost every single country in the world.
Trees account for more than a quarter of the species on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List. The number of threatened trees is more than double the number of threatened birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
The loss of trees is a threat to thousands of plants, fungi and animals, according to the organization. Trees are considered a “defining component of many ecosystems” through their role in carbon, water and nutrient cycles, soil formation and climate regulation. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, 100 trees can remove 54 tons of carbon monoxide and 430 pounds of other air pollutants a year.
“Trees directly underpin the survival of so many species – including many found on the IUCN Red List. Thriving, naturally diverse forests are essential in mitigating both climate change and biodiversity loss, and as such solutions for one crisis often have mutually reinforcing benefits for the other,” said Dr. Dave Hole, vice president for global solutions at Conservation International’s Moore Center for Science. “This makes the growing number of threatened tree species included on the Red List all the more troubling. Without biodiverse ecosystems that include healthy and diverse tree populations the world will face an even greater climate threat than the one we are already facing.”
People are also economically dependent on trees. According to IUCN, more than 5,000 of the tree species on the Red List are used for timber in construction. Over 2,000 species are used for medicines, food and fuels.
In 2021, world leaders representing more than 85% of the world’s forests pledged to end deforestation by 2030. Yet last year, 6.37 million hectares (15.7 million acres) of forest were permanently lost around the world, according to The Forest Declaration Assessment 2024.
“We are now one-third of the way through this decade, and collectively, we have barely made a dent in curbing deforestation,” according to the Forest Declaration Assessment.
A 2022 assessment of tree species native to the contiguous U.S. found 11-16% of species are threatened with extinction. The greatest threats are invasive pests and diseases.
More than 1,000 tree experts were involved in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature global assessment, which was largely funded by nonprofit Fondation Franklinia. Foundation Director General Jean-Christophe Vié urged the world to act based on the tree assessment.
“Trees are seen as an easy fix to climate change and trees are planted everywhere; but the way reforestation is done needs to be greatly improved, diversifying species and including threatened ones in tree-planting schemes,” Vié said. “Governments and their forestry departments, companies and all those planting trees could easily do this and get positive impact quickly, tackling both the climate change and biodiversity crises.”
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Vice President Kamala Harris will visit every battleground state in the final week before Election Day, with a focus on female voters who she hopes will propel her to the White House.
The campaign has directed several messages to female voters in recent days, reminding them that what happens in the voting booth is a secret.
A Democratic ad released Monday delivers the message: “You can vote any way you want and no one will ever know.”
On Saturday in Kalamazoo, Michigan, former first lady Michelle Obama reminded women that “we are more than just baby making vessels.”
“If you are a woman who lives in a household of men that don’t listen to you or value your opinion, just remember that your vote is a private matter,” Obama said in the battleground state.
A voter CBS News met at the rally said she’s heard from a number of female Republicans who will vote Democrat.
“There’s been kind of a little under campaign going about,” she said. “You can vote and no one knows your vote. And it’s been aiming at women.”
Four first-time female voters all said the top issue for women their age is abortion and reproductive rights.
Harris told CBS News in an interview Saturday that she would restore Roe v. Wade if she wins the election.
“I support Roe v. Wade being put back into law by Congress, and to restore the fundamental right of women to make decisions about their own body. It is that basic,” Harris said.
Harris skirted the question about whether she supports abortion restrictions after fetal viability, generally considered to be between 22 and 24 weeks of pregnancy.
“We would not be debating this if Donald Trump had not hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention they would undo the protections of Roe v. Wade,” she said, noting that women have died because of restrictions that have been enacted since the rollback.
“We have seen women who are experiencing a miscarriage around a pregnancy they prayed for and being denied healthcare because doctors are afraid they’re going to go to prison, and those women developing sepsis,” she said. “We have seen extraordinary harm and pain and suffering happen because of what Donald Trump did in intending and effectuating and overturning of Roe v. Wade. Yes, my first priority is to put back in place those protections and to stop this pain and to stop this injustice that is happening around our country.”
She also urged Americans not to take former President Donald Trump at his word when he denies that he would support a national abortion ban.
“He says everything,” Harris said. “Come on, are we really taking his word for it? He said that women should be punished. He has been all over the place on this.”
With polling showing some of Harris’ early gains have slowed and that the race for the presidency is essentially a dead heat, Harris said she doesn’t put too much stock in the polls.
“I think, certainly, polling is a measure, but to be frank, if I’d listened to polls I would have never run for my first or second office,” she said. “Wouldn’t be here talking with you.”
She pointed to record turnout for early voting in North Carolina and Georgia as a sign of enthusiasm.
Asked if, considering how late in the process she became the Democratic nominee, she felt she had sufficient time to make her case to the American people, Harris responded, “I’m gonna make the most of the time I have.”
