Climate and environment updates: 7 key measures of Earth's health in danger, report warns

April 2025 was the second-warmest April on record globally, just behind April 2024, according to new data analyzed by the Copernicus Climate Change Service. Earth's average surface air temperature was 58.93 degrees Fahrenheit.

While the planet may have fallen a little short of breaking another record, global temperatures once again exceeded the 1.5-degree Celsius warming threshold established in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, coming in at 1.51 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial reference period (1850 to 1900).

Last month marked the 21st of the previous 22 months to exceed the warming threshold identified by climate scientists as a critical limit to reduce the worst risks and impacts of human-amplified climate change. While this is a troubling trend, exceeding the threshold temporarily is not seen as a failure to limit global warming, as climate averages are analyzed over several decades.

Antarctic sea ice extent was 10% below average for the month. In the Arctic, the report found sea ice extent was 3% below average, marking the sixth-lowest April extent on record. The Arctic region is warming significantly faster than the global average and, after serving as a carbon sink for thousands of years, has become a source of carbon dioxide emissions due to rapidly rising temperatures and increased wildfire activity, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Global daily sea surface temperatures across much of the world's oceans remained well above average in April. Between the latitudes of 60 degrees south and 60 degrees north, the average global sea surface temperature was 69.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the second-highest value on record for the month, according to Copernicus.

Unusually, warm sea surface temperatures could play a key role in tropical cyclone development during the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season, which begins on June 1. NOAA is expected to release its official outlook for the upcoming season on May 22.

-ABC News meteorologist Dan Peck

As carbon dioxide levels in Earth's atmosphere reach record highs and the effects of human-amplified climate change intensify, climate scientists are urgently searching for effective ways to slow global warming. Rapidly reducing atmospheric levels of CO2, a heat-trapping greenhouse gas, is one of the most critical challenges, and in many cases, nature can be part of the solution.

Hidden along the world's coastlines and just beneath the ocean's surface, seagrass meadows are among the most threatened and one of the most overlooked ecosystems on the planet. But they could play an essential role in fighting climate change thanks to their remarkable ability to absorb and store carbon, according to a new study published in Nature Communications.

Although they cover only about 0.2% of the ocean floor, seagrass meadows store a significant portion of the ocean's carbon, accounting for roughly 10% of its total carbon storage capacity. Seagrass absorbs CO2 up to 35 times faster than tropical rainforests, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.

In the largest study of coastal ecosystems to date, researchers analyzed over 3,000 samples of seagrass and soil from 61 countries, revealing significantly greater variation in carbon storage among species and regions than previously understood.

"Seagrass meadows are not just important for marine biodiversity, they are a critical piece of the climate puzzle," said lead author Johannes Krause, a researcher at Conservation International and assistant research professor at Florida International University. "This research underscores their vast potential as carbon sinks and the importance of accurate data to ensure we're protecting them properly."

Researchers say that protecting and restoring seagrass meadows is a promising yet underutilized climate mitigation tool. Greater investment and research on these ecosystems can help preserve biodiversity and strengthen the planet's natural ability to store carbon.

Protecting vegetated coastal ecosystems, like seagrass meadows, could prevent the release of 1.2 billion metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, the equivalent of removing the annual carbon footprint of 100 million homes in the United States, according to the nonprofit Conservation International, which funded the study. Researchers also estimate this could avoid more than $200 billion in climate change-related costs through 2050.

-ABC News meteorologist Dan Peck

For the first time, a new study finds climate change is now the primary driver of biodiversity loss in the United States.

Researchers examined the five predominant threats facing 2,766 imperiled species in the U.S. Those are plants and animals that have significantly declined in numbers and are at high risk of extinction.

The team from the Center for Conservation Innovation at Defenders of Wildlife found when they applied climate change assessments to the plants and animals on the U.S. Endangered Species Act list, climate change was the most far-reaching biodiversity threat, impacting 91% of ESA-listed species.

While climate change may be the most common threat, it's not the only one. Changes to land and sea ecosystems, such as land conversion, pollution and resource extraction, was the No. 2 most common at 90%. Other primary drivers of biodiversity loss include overexploitation, invasive species and pollution.

These five threats often overlap. The researchers found that 86% of all U.S. imperiled species faced two or more threats. On average, those on the ESA list faced nearly three of the five threats. And the researchers found a species' habitat largely impacts its risks. Marine species, for example, face the highest number of threats.

"With the biodiversity and climate crises deeply intertwined, not only is addressing climate change necessary for imperiled species, but protecting biodiversity and supporting healthy ecosystems is also essential to shifting our climate trajectory," the authors wrote in the study.

- ABC News Weather and Climate Unit's Matthew Glasser

The government organization responsible for forecasting hurricanes and keeping people safe during these deadly and destructive storms set a new record for forecast track accuracy in 2024. But recent budget and staffing cuts by the Trump administration could jeopardize this progress.

Part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Hurricane Center played a crucial role in helping people prepare through timely and accurate forecasts. NHC issued 347 official forecasts during the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, and its track predictions set accuracy records for every time period, according to a new report released on Wednesday.

Track forecast performance, which details the path a storm will take, was the best in history for the agency. Official track forecast errors have decreased significantly in recent years and are now up to 75% smaller than they were a few decades ago, according to the report.

The report also analyzed intensity forecast accuracy, which continues to lag behind track forecasts. However, the report said overall intensity predictions have shown steady improvement over the past decade.

NOAA and several key divisions, like the National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center, have been impacted by recent staff reductions approved by the Trump administration. According to current and former NOAA employees who spoke to ABC News, these cuts are impacting offices that are already coping with inadequate staffing levels.

Staffing limitations have impacted several key services provided by the National Weather Service, including reducing weather balloon launches at select sites nationwide. With fewer upper-air observations, less data is available for the weather models that forecasters rely on.

NOAA and the United States Air Force operate aircraft, commonly called the Hurricane Hunters, which fly into tropical cyclones to collect data essential for forecasting a storm's path, timing and strength. According to a March report from the Government Accountability Office, these vital missions have also faced staffing and maintenance challenges in recent years, which has resulted in canceled flights.

Hurricane Hunter flights provide critical meteorological data from inside the storms, a necessary component for producing detailed tropical cyclone forecasts. NOAA research shows that their collected data improves hurricane forecast accuracy by at least 10%. The more high-quality data that forecasters have at their disposal, the more effectively they can develop precise and detailed forecasts.

-ABC News meteorologist Dan Peck