Herbivores eat away at climate-change predictions

22:00 18 August 2008
NewScientist.com news service
David Robson

Large herbivores are likely to have a bigger influence on the fate of our planet than we thought.

Current climate simulations predict an increase in shrub-like vegetation in northern regions as the world heats up, and these plants should absorb some of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and help buffer further temperature increase. Now it seems that grazers are set to eat this potential carbon sponge.