Ecosystems Facing ‘Double Whammy’ due to Increasing Impacts of Drought

Trees and plants across the world are increasingly in “recovery mode” after a drought, a new study says, and they’re taking longer to bounce back.

The research, published in Nature, maps how much of the Earth’s vegetation is recovering after a drought and how recovery times have changed since 1901.

The findings suggest that “we are likely headed to a new normal where time between droughts is shorter than the recovery time”, the lead author tells Carbon Brief.

This could lead to widespread changes to ecosystems, reducing the amount of CO2 they can take up from the atmosphere, he warns.

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