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Climate Change

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.

Related Topics: Extinction, Global Warming, Deforestation, Heat Wave, Hurricanes

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The glare of an exploded nuclear bomb rises over a city.

Doomsday Clock is now 100 seconds from midnight

By Mindy Weisberger

A hypothetical timepiece called the Doomsday Clock measures our nearness to Armageddon — by nuclear weapons, climate change and other global threats.

A graphic produced by NASA shows how 2019 temperatures compare with historical averages.

2019 Was the Second Hottest Year on Record, NASA Says

By Meghan Bartels

It's the award no one wanted to win: 2019 was the second hottest year on record, government scientists confirmed yesterday (Jan. 15).

Ocean waters.

Ocean Temperatures Have Reached a Record-Breaking High

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

Our planet's oceans are warmer than they've ever been in recorded human history.

Satellite data shows how ice at the Vavilov Ice Cap flowed in a stream-like pattern toward the ocean on June 24, 2018.

A Never-Before-Seen Event Is Collapsing an Ice Sheet in the Russian Arctic

By Rafi Letzter

The event is permanently transforming the region.

Map of Antarctica ice sheet topography.

Scientists Found the Deepest Land on Earth Hiding Beneath Antarctica's Ice

By Rafi Letzter

A new mapping effort revealed critical new details of Antarctica's hidden land.

A water taxi sits moored in a Venetian courtyard following the second-highest tide in the city's history.

Venice Suffers Worst Flooding in 50 Years, Mayor Blames Climate Change

By Brandon Specktor

Venice is in a state of emergency as the Italian city braces from one of the worst floods in its history.

The Arctic's oldest and thickest ice is vanishing twice as fast as ice in the rest of the Arctic.

The Arctic's Most Stable Sea Ice Is Vanishing Alarmingly Fast

By Mindy Weisberger

Experts once thought that older, more robust sea ice in the Arctic was mostly safe from melting — but that may not be the case.

Red represents record-warmest temperatures. That's a lot of red.

Scorching Hot Take: September Was North America's Warmest Ever

By Mindy Weisberger

September tied the record for the warmest average global temperatures during that month, according to a new NOAA report.

A lidar image shows the outline of an ancient city hidden in a Guatemalan forest

Scientists Want to Make a 3D Map of the Entire World Before Climate Change Ruins It

By Brandon Specktor

A nonprofit called The Earth Archive wants to make a 3D map of the entire planet, before the climate crisis changes Earth's face forever.

Supertrain "Snowpiercer" barrels across a frozen Earth, in a new TNT series about the aftermath of a global climate catastrophe.

Frozen Earth in 'Snowpiercer' Is a Grim (and Possible) Future for Our Warming Planet

By Mindy Weisberger

The grim future of new TNT sci-fi series "Snowpiercer" began with climate change. Could our rapidly warming world undergo a global deep freeze?

A gas-mask-clad researcher samples the CO2 emissions being released by Lastarria volcano in Chile.

Humans Are Disturbing Earth's Carbon Cycle More Than the Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Did

By Brandon Specktor

The anthropogenic climate crisis is disturbing our planet's carbon cycle more than the dinosaur-killing asteroid did.

Part of the Planpincieux Glacier in the Mont Blanc massif (shown here) is in danger of collapse.

Giant Chunk of Mont Blanc Glacier on the Brink of Collapse, Officials Warn

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

Italian officials have ordered the evacuation of mountain huts and closed down roads near the Planpincieux Glacier, which is at risk of collapse.

A baby clutches a sign during a climate strike rally on Sept. 20, 2019, in Sydney, Australia, part of a global mass day of action on the climate crisis.

Are We Really Running Out of Time to Stop Climate Change?

By Rafi Letzter

Activists and politicians have been criticized from the right for saying we have only 12 years to stop climate change. Scientists say the situation is in some ways worse than that.

Ice melts on an iceberg on the coast of Greenland.

Human Disruption of Earth's Oceans and Ice is 'Unprecedented,' Says 'Chilling and Compelling' Climate Report

By Mindy Weisberger

Unless climate action is swift and dramatic, future upheaval will be catastrophic.

Earth's oceans are especially vulnerable to climate change, according to a new U.N. report.

Big Climate Report to Be Released Tomorrow: Here's What to Expect

By Mindy Weisberger

A new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change addresses how climate change threatens Earth's oceans and frozen places.

A postman walks through streets flooded by the tropical storm Imelda, as he delivers mail in Galveston, Texas.

Texas Is Drowning Under One of the Wettest Storms in US History

By Mindy Weisberger

Tropical storm Imelda is bringing historic and devastating flooding to southeastern Texas, just two years after Hurricane Harvey flooded the same part of the state.

A group of students carry signs protesting climate change inaction.

Students Worldwide Mobilize for Climate Action

By Mindy Weisberger

Students around the world are walking out of schools on Friday (Sept. 20) in a global strike for climate action.

the icebreaker rv polarstern on the ice at night

A Massive Icebreaker Ship Will Trap Itself in Arctic Sea Ice on Purpose. Here's Why.

By Tom Metcalfe

Here's why they're doing it.

flooded streets after hurricane sandy

We'd Better Retreat from the Coasts While We Still Can, Scientists Urge Amid Climate Crisis

By Brandon Specktor

Do it now or do it later, with much, much worse outcomes.

Arctic Oil Illustration

Why Is There So Much Oil in the Arctic?

By Emma Bryce

Beneath the Arctic lie billions of barrels of oil. But as the international energy race intensifies, we wonder, how did all that oil get there in the first place?