Climate Change

Climate change illustration
(Image credit: ParabolStudio | Shutterstock.com )

It's real. It's happening. It's accelerating. And it's our fault. Human activity — particularly the production of greenhouse gasses from fossil fuel emissions — is reshaping our planet, effecting rapid environmental change at a rate never seen before. Global temperature averages are creeping upward, seas are warming, rising and becoming more acidic, and extreme weather events such as droughts, wildfires, floods and powerful storms are more commonplace. Here's where you'll find the latest on the effects of climate change, and the measures that scientists, world leaders and innovators are taking to reduce our harmful impact on the planet and mitigate the damage already done.

Latest about Climate Change

A deserted ship on a dry sand bed sits in what was the Aral Sea

Over half of the world's largest lakes and reservoirs are losing water

By Kelly Oakes published

The amount lost in the last 30 years is equivalent to 17 Lake Meads — the largest reservoir in the U.S.

An aerial view of the New York City skyline from the south.

New York City may be sinking under its own weight because the buildings are too heavy, scientists warn

By Charles Q. Choi published

Scientists estimate the mass of the 1,084,954 buildings within the five boroughs of New York City is 1.68 trillion pounds.

In February, wildfires fueled by severe drought consumed forests, grasslands and wetlands in northeastern Argentina, burning an estimated 40% of the Ibera National Park.

Global warming will likely cross dangerous 1.5 C threshold within 5 years, UN report warns

By Ben Turner published

The U.N. weather agency has warned that El Niño and human-caused climate change will likely push temperatures into "uncharted territory."

A mushroom cloud exploding in the desert

Energy of '25 billion atomic bombs' trapped on Earth in just 50 years, all because of global warming

By Harry Baker published

A new study has revealed that 380 zettajoules of energy was trapped by global warming between 1971 and 2020.

A map showing sea surface temperatures as of April 13, 2023, with warm colors indicating higher temperatures.

The surface of the ocean is now so hot it's broken every record since satellite measurements began

By Stephanie Pappas published

The upper levels of the ocean have never been this hot. Blame the end of La Niña and the ever-present heating effect of climate change.

Yelling, crying koala clutching to a tree as a bush fire burns in the background.

World must act now to defuse 'climate time bomb,' UN scientists warn

By Ben Turner published

The UN's final IPCC report warns that drastic action must be taken immediately, but staving off disaster is within humanity's grasp.

Permafrost melts into the Kolyma River outside of Zyryanka, Russia in Siberia on July 4, 2019. In a new study, researchers looked for ancient viruses in several places in Siberia, including two rivers.

'Zombie' viruses have been revived from Siberian permafrost. Could they infect people?

By Joanna Thompson last updated

Researchers have isolated viable microbes from melting permafrost after tens of thousands of years. But don't worry; they infect only amoebas.

On Feb. 21, Antarctica's sea ice retreated to its lowest extent since satellite records began in 1979.

Antarctica's sea ice reaches its lowest level since records began, for the 2nd year in a row

By Harry Baker published

Antarctica's sea ice recently shrank to its lowest extent since satellite records began more than 40 years ago.

Cracks in the Thwaites Glacier of West Antarctica, which has the potential to contribute 1.6 feet (0.5 meters) of sea-level rise over several centuries, should it collapse.

Doomsday Glacier is melting slower than previously thought — but it's still in big trouble

By Stephanie Pappas published

Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica, known as the Doomsday Glacier for the role its melt could play in global sea level rise, is melting more slowly than previously estimated, new research finds. But the glacier is still in trouble.

A polar bear on melting ice in Svalbard, Norway.

Which animals are most likely to survive climate change?

By Emma Bryce published

What animal species will survive projected future droughts, rising temperatures and habitat loss?

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