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

Latest Updates

Jason Elam wades through flood waters around his home after Hurricane Nicole blew ashore on Nov. 10, 2022 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Rising sea levels could swamp the US coastline by 2050, NASA predicts

By Joe Phelan published

Sea levels are expected to rise around the contiguous U.S. faster than previously thought, a new NASA study finds.

The burning of fossil fuels accounts for 90% of the world's carbon emissions.

Global CO2 emissions are cooking the planet and 'show no sign of decreasing,' report warns

By Joshua A. Krisch published

Staving off the worst impacts of climate change means preventing global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. But CO2 emissions are so high that we are slated to cross that line within a decade.

One-third of World Heritage glaciers, including the Lyell Glacier in Yosemite National Park, will vanish in 30 years — and that's bad news for the world's freshwater supply.

Glaciers in Yellowstone and Yosemite on track to vanish within decades, UN report warns

By Michael Dhar last updated

A United Nations report warns of imperiled glaciers at iconic World Heritage sites — but climate action could save most of them.

Over tens of thousands of years, a massive ice sheet covered and then exposed land masses in northwestern Europe.

Watch an ancient ice sheet cover the British Isles then vanish, in eerie time-lapse animation

By Joshua A. Krisch published

The rapid decline of the British-Irish Ice Sheet thousands of years ago may hold lessons for how melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica will influence sea-level rise in the future.

A blue-feathered tree swallow in flight.

Migratory birds in North America are shrinking as their wings get bigger. Climate change is to blame.

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

As the planet warms due to climate change, North American migratory birds are shrinking.

After damaging parts of Cuba and leaving much of the country in the dark, Hurricane Ian reached Florida’s west coast on the afternoon of Sept. 28.

Is Atlantic hurricane season getting worse (and is climate change to blame)?

By Joshua A. Krisch published

Recent studies have linked climate change to environmental conditions that fuel hurricane season.

A 3D map of one of the hidden valleys, also known as a tunnel valley, under the seafloor in the North Sea. It was created by a meltwater channel running underneath an ancient ice sheet.

'Death throes' of ancient ice sheets carved hidden valleys below the seafloor

By Harry Baker published

The subterranean structures could provide clues about how modern ice sheets will react to climate change.

A new study has warned that irreversible climate "tipping points" are more numerous and close to being triggered than previously thought.

Climate 'points of no return' may be much closer than we thought

By Harry Baker published

A new study that reassesed decades of work of climate "tipping points" has revealed they are more numerous and closer to being triggered than researchers initially feared.

two satellite images show a region with a lake to the west and a river running at an angle to the east. The left photo shows the region prior to extreme flooding, whereas the right photo shows the lake and river overflowing into one another and the surrounding area

'Monsoon on steroids' has flooded vast swaths of Pakistan, disturbing satellite images show

By Nicoletta Lanese published

New satellite images capture the extensive flooding in Pakistan.

The 1,000-pound, WWII-era bomb was fund on the bank of the River Po after a severe drought lowered water levels.

Intact WWII-era bomb discovered in Italy's River Po following extreme drought

By Brandon Specktor published

An unexploded WWII-era bomb was discovered in Italy's River Po as extreme drought lowers water levels across Europe.

Similar swarms have appeared in waters near Haifa before, in 2015 and in 2017.

Thousands of jellyfish swarm near Israel, mesmerizing images reveal

By Jamie Carter published

Cameras on drones recently captured aerial images of nomad jellyfish as they swarmed by the thousands in coastal waters near Israel.

A polar bear in Arctic Alaska

Polar bears forced to dine on 'batteries and dirty nappies' as climate change pushes them inland

By Brandon Specktor last updated

Polar bears are flocking to open landfills in the Arctic as climate change diminishes sea ice, a new study suggests.

A British flag flies amongst the smoldering ruins of houses as fire services tackle a large blaze on July 19 in Wennington, England. A series of grass fires broke out amid an intense heatwave.

Wildfires blaze in London during record heatwave

By Ben Turner published

Fires such as those caused by a recent record-breaking heatwave in Europe will likely become more common as the climate warms, scientists say.

Mineral deposits from Lake Mead, showing drop in water levels from drought.

Rare 'triple-dip' La Niña could bring another year of intense hurricanes and drought to the US

By Joanna Thompson published

The cooler climate pattern is predicted to persist for the third winter in a row, bringing an increased risk of powerful hurricanes to the eastern U.S. and flooding to Australia.

A new study found hundreds of newfound microbes in melting glaciers, some of which could potentially be pathogenic.

Never-before-seen microbes locked in glacier ice could spark a wave of new pandemics if released

By Harry Baker published

Climate change just got even more terrifying.

Resinous trees dot the tundra landscape on northwestern Siberia’s Yamal Peninsula.

Siberian tundra could vanish in less than 500 years

By Stephanie Pappas published

The Siberian tundra will shrink even with ambitious greenhouse gas reductions. Without them, it could disappear altogether.

Climate change is pushing hurricanes to their extremes. In 2018, Hurricane Michael (shown here in this digitally enhanced image) became the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall on the Florida Panhandle.

Physicists predict Earth will become a chaotic world, with dire consequences

By Paul Sutter published

Humans aren't just making Earth warmer, they are making the climate chaotic, a stark new study suggests.

Man watches bushfire

Humanity locked in a 'spiral of self-destruction' unless we change our perception of risk, UN says

By Jeanna Bryner published

'Optimism, underestimation and invincibility' have pushed humanity into a 'spiral of self-destruction,' new UN Global Assessment Report says

Image of a glacier in Jasper National Park in Canada that has retreated very far.

What is climate change, and how is it affecting Earth?

By Stephanie Pappas published

Climate change is real and humans are causing it.

Supporters of the Fridays for Future climate action movement march as part of a global climate strike on March 25 in Berlin, Germany. The movement is calling particular attention to the current Russian war in Ukraine, warning that the war is distracting world leaders from achieving climate goals and highlights the need for a faster global reduction in fossil fuel dependence.

In global climate strike, youth demand action worldwide

By Mindy Weisberger published

On March 25, thousands of young people around the world mobilized to demand government action to curb climate change.