Ancient rise in CO 2 was catastrophic for forests: what that means for today’s plants
Nature, Published online: 13 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02544-y A widespread dieback of forests due to climate change 56 million years ago has parallels with today.
Approximately 56 million years ago, a sharp increase in carbon dioxide levels within the Earth's atmosphere triggered a period of significant global warming, fundamentally altering the planet's surface. A comprehensive examination of a historical ecosystem, reported in the journal Science on August 13, indicates that this drastic shift also resulted in a broad reduction in forest cover.
The findings of this study carry important implications for the potential consequences of human-induced climate change, according to the researchers.
Written by urgent.news from Nature's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
