Global trade’s extinction footprint
Biodiversity, crucial for sustaining ecosystems that support human life, is under serious threat, largely due to human activities. Habitat destruction and climate change are major factors, often driven by consumption in distant countries. This study tracks extinction-risk footprints for 188 nations, showing which countries’ consumption impacts species the most—whether from imported, exported, or domestic sources. The map highlights that 76 countries, mainly in Europe, North America, and East Asia, are net importers of extinction risk (orange). In net exporters (green), the risk is driven by consumption abroad, while domestic consumption dominates in others (blue). Global trade accounts for 29.5% of the overall extinction-risk footprint.