Climate change will destroy up to half of the world’s grasslands by the end of the century – study

Grassland, which currently covers a third of the Earth’s surface, could shrink by 36 to 50 percent due to global warming, warn scientists at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).

“Depending on the scenario, between 36 and 50 percent of land with suitable climatic conditions for livestock grazing will lose its viability by 2100, affecting more than 100 million pastoralists and up to 1.6 billion grazing animals,” the study reports.

The authors emphasize that Africa will be particularly vulnerable. Africa’s pastureland could shrink by 16 percent under a low-emissions scenario, or by up to 65 percent if fossil fuel production continues to increase, as temperatures on the continent are already at the upper limit of the safe climate range defined as suitable for livestock grazing.

Pastures around the world have thrived within specific ranges of temperature (-3 to +29°C), precipitation (50 to 2,627 mm per year), humidity (39 to 67%), and wind speed (1 to 6 meters per second).

Climate change will lead to a reduction in pastureland, threatening centuries-old agricultural practices, warned Maximilian Kotz, one of the study’s co-authors.

Reducing emissions by rapidly phasing out fossil fuels is the best strategy for minimizing potentially catastrophic damage to livestock production, the scientists warned.