It is known that climate change has been causing harmful affect on flora and fauna across the world. Recently researchers in a new study have found that butterfly population in Britain could be the next to be affected due to climate change if conservationists didn’t take necessary steps.

Study researcher who presented their findings in the journal Nature Climate Change suggested that widespread drought-sensitive butterfly population extinctions could occur as early as 2050.

The study found that as earth is getting warmer, these drought-sensitive butterflies are more likely to go extinct. According to NASA, the average global temperature on Earth has increased by 0.8 degrees Celsius (1.4 degrees Fahrenheit) since 1880. Two-thirds of the warming has occurred since 1975.

The team led by Tom Oliver of the NERC Center of Ecology and Hydrology in Britain examined data from 129 sites to see how 28 species responded to a severe drought in 1995, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Researchers during the study looked at six different butterfly species of Britain and they found that the species that were affected the most were the Pieris brassicae with a 60% population collapse and the Peiris rapae at 56% depleted.

Scientists believe that the data collected during the study shows result of both climate change and extreme weather events triggered by these changes.

Mr. Oliver, said, “There is strong evidence that climate change will have increasingly large impacts on biodiversity. This is especially so from increases in the frequency of extreme events, although the impacts of these have been less studied than responses to gradual change in climatological means”.

Researchers suggested that in order to ensure survival of the species a combination of major emissions reductions along with significant reductions in habitat fragmentations is required.