Spain flooding 'catastrophe' should serve as a warning, EU says at nature summit

European officials pointed Thursday to devastating flooding in Spain as a reminder of the self-harming effects of humans' destruction of nature. The European Commission Envoy said at a UN biodiversity conference in Colombia that the "catastrophe" in Spain's Valencia Region earlier this week highlighted the link between biodiversity loss and human-caused climate change.

Worsening droughts and flooding cause the loss of plant species such as trees which serve as a bulwark against some of the worst effects of global warming. The delegates attending the conference are urged to "act" to mitigate the frequent disasters.