Climate

Overview

Freshwater supplies are shrinking, agriculture yields are dropping, forests are burning, and rising oceans are more acidic—all, at least in part, due to a warming climate. At WWF, we believe we can fight this consequential threat and build a safer. healthier and more resilient future for people and nature. 

WWF works with local communities, governments, and others around the world to help people and nature prepare for the many impacts of a changing climate. 

WWF is dedicated to creating real world results using carbon reduction strategies and innovative finance and nature-based solutions. Our strategy involves working with governments, businesses, communities, and other stakeholders to drive whole-of-society climate action, while building adaptation and resilience for people and nature. We also work to scale low carbon solutions through science-based targets in supply chain management, climate smart agriculture, green cities, and forest regeneration.

• Advance policies to reduce carbon emissions

• Promote the rapid deployment of renewable energy for a clean energy future

• Engage with businesses to decrease their carbon footprint

• Help people and nature adapt to a changing climate

• Mobilize private and public finance to combat deforestation and biodiversity loss

• Advocate for climate justice by advancing community benefits

Because the problems facing our planet are growing ever more urgent and interrelated, WWF’s expertise in large landscapes and multifaceted solutions provides a powerful opportunity to address larger global threats and the forces which impact them

As one of the largest conservation organizations in the world, WWF teams address a wide range of challenges, bringing together the organization’s experience with engaging numerous and diverse stakeholders, commitment to a science-based approach, and focus on long-term, comprehensive, equitable solutions.

Our Climate strategy incorporates work from all six focal area teams. Whether it's climate, forests, oceans, freshwater, food or wildlife—all are encouraged to leverage their assets and resources towards climate solutions as part of their work in an integrated approach that emphasizes collaboration and innovation.

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  Forests

  Forests and climate change are deeply connected, as forest loss and degradation is both a cause and an effect of our changing climate. When forests are destroyed, they release large quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which further exacerbates the climate crisis. But forests are also a climate solution, as the largest storehouse of carbon after the ocean. That’s why WWF is working to advocate for stronger government policies on forests, including in international climate negotiations, and uplifting nature-based solutions that deliver benefits for people and nature.

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  Food

  Agriculture is responsible for about a quarter of humankind’s greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, unfortunately, a third of the food we grow never ends up on our plates. We can prevent this waste by producing, buying, or taking only what we need—especially when it comes to foods that drive habitat loss and increase greenhouse gas emissions. By eating healthily and responsibly, we can lighten the burden that our appetites put on wildlife, wild places, and the climate.

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  Wildlife

  Climate change is wreaking havoc on our planet’s biodiversity, impacting species across the globe. Changes in climate are altering the timing of life cycles, causing species to shift where they live, and in some cases, even leading to extinction. We can help species adapt to our changing world by ensuring that our own responses to climate change factor in the health and wellbeing of the habitat and resources on which they depend.

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  Oceans

  Both people and wildlife depend on the health of our oceans as a source of sustenance and livelihood. Our oceans absorb most of the warming and carbon pollution occurring today—even more than the atmosphere! Warmer oceans are driving stronger storms and bleaching coral reefs. And as oceans absorb carbon dioxide, they become more acidic, threatening most shelled organisms, including small crustaceans fundamental to the marine food chain.

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  Freshwater

  Climate change is altering patterns of weather and water around the world, causing shortages and droughts in some areas and floods in others. These changes combine to make less water available for agriculture, energy generation, cities and ecosystems around the world. Additionally, freshwater species are declining at an alarming rate of 76%. There's a lot we can do to create a water-secure future, and it starts by learning more about your own water footprint.