France, May 10 -- A new batch of emojis has landed on phones worldwide - and one stands out as a stark environmental warning. Among eight new symbols now available in messaging apps is a bare, lifeless tree that sits awkwardly among its leafy green neighbours.

It's not just a design choice: it's a symbol of how the climate crisis is reshaping the planet.

"The climate is changing, droughts are becoming more frequent and more severe," said Brian Baihaki, the designer behind the new emoji.

"Trees have adapted in different ways to survive these droughts - for example by losing their leaves to conserve water."

Baihaki first submitted the idea in May 2022 to the Unicode Consortium - the international group that decides which emojis get adde...