Climate
Why Work on Cimate Change?
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The fingerprints of climate change are all over the place. Sea levels are rising. Arctic ice is melting. Droughts threaten crops and water supplies. Some regions are suffering from too much rainfall and unprecedented flooding. And our oceans are warming, which increases the intensity of storms and hurricanes.
This unnatural shift is causing an alarming amount of harm to animals, habitats and livelihoods around the world. While living creatures and people in the coldest regions are experiencing the worst impacts (like Arctic communities, polar bears and walrus), the consequences of climate change can be found elsewhere too, from marine turtle nesting grounds off the coast of Florida to threatened maple syrup production in the Northeast US.
What is Climate Change?
Climate change is the shift of natural weather conditions over time. The average temperature on the planet has been increasing in recent decades (global warming), resulting in more extreme and unpredictable weather across the world. As the problem escalates, some places are getting hotter, some colder, some wetter and others drier.
What Causes Climate Change?
Greenhouses gases, such as carbon dioxide, trap heat in the atmosphere and regulate our climate. These gases exist naturally, but humans have been adding even more carbon dioxide by burning fossil fuels for energy (coal, oil, and natural gas) and by cutting down forests. Because more greenhouse gases trap more heat, average temperatures around the world are increasing. At the same time, the Earth’s oceans are also absorbing some of this extra carbon dioxide, making them more acidic and less hospitable for sea life.
How Do We Know Climate Change is Real?
The US and global scientific community has reached an overwhelming consensus that climate change is real, and is caused primarily by human-activity and threatens our planet. This includes respected scientific organizations such as the National Academy of Science, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and World Meteorological Association (WMO). They have all identified climate change as an urgent threat caused by humans that must be addressed.
“The need for urgent action to address climate change is now indisputable.”
— National Academy of Science
“Climate change is real. It is here, and it is happening now, in our backyards and around the globe.”
— Jane Lubchenco, Undersecretary of Commerce and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA)
“Human responsibility for most of the well-documented increase in global average temperatures over the last half century is well established.”
— American Meteorological Society
“Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice and rising global average sea level.”
— IPCC
“The vast preponderance of evidence … clearly indicates that global climate change is real, it is caused largely by human activities, and the need to take action is urgent.”
— Alan Leshner, CEO of American Association for the Advancement of Science
What Does Climate Change Mean For Wildlife?
Wildlife already suffers from human actions, such as deforestation and poaching. Climate change creates added stress on animals. Just like their human neighbors, wild animals are facing new challenges for survival because of climate change. For example:
- Polar bears and walruses are losing their sea ice habitat in the Arctic
- Reef-building corals around the world will disappear because of warmer and more acidic oceans
- Rising seas are creeping into tiger habitat in India
What Can We Do?
We can help fight climate change by switching to clean energy sources like wind and solar power.
© National Geographic Stock/John Burcham / WWF
We must radically reduce carbon pollution to avoid the worst consequences of climate change and prepare for what cannot be avoided. Each one of us can do our part to reduce our carbon footprint and prepare for more frequent extreme weather like floods and droughts.
Even more importantly, we need to urge our representatives to take tackling the climate crisis seriously. And it is important to protect the world’s forests which play a vital role in combating climate change.
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More On Climate
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WWF and The Coca-Cola Company are working to protect the Arctic. Learn more
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News from the Climate Blog
WWF Experts
Lou Leonard
Managing Director of Climate Change"Our political system in America is a bit like an ocean liner…neither is good at sudden changes in direction. But there are moments in time when we must act quickly and decisively. If we are to stop the climate crisis, that time is now."
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