MONTREAL ¨C As the COP15 nature summit in Montreal adopted a new global agreement to halt and reverse harm to the Earth¡¯s biodiversity, researchers and officials said the deal could also play a vital role in boosting the world¡¯s ability to combat climate change.
From the Amazon rainforest to mangroves in Southeast Asia, natural areas help to slow climate change by absorbing and storing vast amounts of planet-heating carbon dioxide.
But human activities like deforestation and mining have degraded 40% of the planet¡¯s land, according to the United Nations, while rising temperatures worldwide are making it harder for plants, animals and marine life to survive.
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