Prediction: Earth will lose 25% of species by 2050

A scientific report released today predicted that 25% of the world's plant and vertebrate animal species will be extinct by 2050.

Biodiversity hotspots are some of the richest and most threatened biological pools on Earth. They contain 44 percent of plant and 35 percent of the Earth's vertebrate species on only 1.4 percent of the Earth's land. Each hotspot contains its own set of unique species. "Climate change is rapidly becoming the most serious threats to the planet's biodiversity," said Jay Malcolm, an assistant forestry professor at the University of Toronto.

In the most dramatic of the scenarios, for which carbon dioxide levels grow to double that of today's levels, the models forecasted a potential loss of 56,000 plant species and 3,700 vertebrate species in the hotspots.

Environmental educators have the world on the shoulders to get the message out to help preserve our resources by having the best management practices.