A study published by the journal Science, carried out by scientists at the University of York (Great Britain), states that global warming is moving species towards colder latitudes three times faster than predicted.

Some 2,000 species examined by biologists move away from the equator at an average of more than 5 meters per day, or about 1.6 kilometers per year, according to research published in the journal Science, which has been echoed by the newspapers El Mundo and Público.

After looking at the fauna and flora of warmer geographical areas, the study states that as the planet’s temperatures rise, species seek refuge towards the poles and also towards higher places to escape the heat, although in this case more slowly, at an average of 1.2 meters per year.

The species observed, most of them from the northern hemisphere, including some plants, have been moving away from the equator by repeated incursions, at a rate of about 20 centimeters per hour.