What is biodiversity in the context of climate risk?

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life forms within a particular habitat or ecosystem, and it plays a crucial role in maintaining the resilience and functionality of these systems. In the context of climate risk, biodiversity is essential because diverse ecosystems are better equipped to withstand and adapt to environmental changes, including those caused by climate change. Healthy biodiversity can enhance ecosystem services such as pollination, water purification, and carbon sequestration, all of which are vital for mitigating climate impacts.

When ecosystems are rich in species diversity, they tend to be more resilient to disturbances, including extreme weather events and shifting climate patterns. This resilience is important in a climate risk framework, as it contributes to both environmental stability and the wellbeing of human communities that depend on these ecosystems for livelihoods and resources.

The other options, while related to biodiversity, do not capture its defining importance in the context of climate risk as comprehensively. For instance, simply counting the number of species in an area does not reflect the functionality or resilience that biodiversity provides (as suggested in the first option). The economic value of ecosystems is significant but does not inherently depict the ecological role and importance of biodiversity (as indicated in the third option). Lastly, while understanding the impacts of climate change on species extinction is important,