Climate Stories

  • Is COP 28 worth it?

    November 28, 2023

    This year’s COP is critical as an inflection point in the transition away from fossil fuels and towards a renewable energy economy. We need to rapidly scale clean energy, and we need to do it while minimizing harm to nature.

    A vertical green sign reads COP28 at a building in Dubai
  • COP28: A crucial moment for climate action

    November 28, 2023

    The 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) is the United Nations’ 28th annual climate summit, and it is being held at a critical time for the world. The summit is taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12.

    wind turbines stretch across peat landscape
  • A brief history of carbon in our atmosphere

    November 16, 2023

    Carbon is essential to life on Earth. As the atmosphere has evolved, the amount of carbon in it has increased due to human activity, primarily from burning fossil fuels, resulting in the climate crisis. 

    Clouds in a blue sky
  • New guide helps ensure infrastructure works for people—and the planet

    November 13, 2023

    Putting nature at the heart of infrastructure design offers a great way to help halt and reverse biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

    Aerial view of a bridge filled with vegetation over a multi-lane highway
  • We need to transform how we power the world—for the benefit of people and nature

    November 03, 2023

    In a first-of-its-kind analysis, WWF and Boston Consulting Group compare a rapid transition to renewable energy to our current approach dominated by fossil fuels across key areas. The results show that a rapid transition to renewable energy is dramatically better for nature, human health and safety, and jobs.

    Landscape photo of a field of solar panels at sunrise. There are two wind turbines in the distance. Everything is shrouded in a light mist.
  • Oysters: an unsung hero in a changing climate

    October 30, 2023

    Oysters, in all their stunning variety and storied reputation for pearls and elegant cuisine, play an exemplary–if often unacknowledged–role in mitigating the effects of our warming planet.

    overhead view of cluster of oysters ready to be shipped
  • A climate high, a climate low, and our climate future

    September 25, 2023

    In these strange days of summer, we witnessed an extreme climate high and an extreme climate low. Both have significant implications for the planet’s health and for confronting the climate crisis moving forward.

    sun breaks through clouds over grasslands in Montana
  • How the climate crisis could impact our future

    June 06, 2023

    A new report by an international body of scientists exposes the sheer gravity of the climate crisis and the increasingly severe climate impacts facing people and nature. To drive home the impacts on nature, WWF created a new version that incorporates plants and animals to highlight how climate change affects generations across all species on the planet.

    graphic showing global warming trends after 2020
  • Weather stations help communities track storms

    WWF Magazine: Summer 2023
    WWF-Myanmar has installed three automatic weather stations in climate-vulnerable areas of the country, providing communities a way to better predict, track, and plan for natural disasters.
    Station equipment standing in field
  • What is green hydrogen, and how can it help tackle the climate crisis?

    Green hydrogen has the potential to decarbonize heavy industry, a sector whose emissions have proved to be some of the most difficult to tackle. Equitable development and deployment of hydrogen energy could make a real impact toward combating the climate crisis while supporting a just energy transition for communities.

    A hydrogen tank in front of solar panels and wind turbines.
  • 5 ways WWF helped fight the climate crisis in 2022

    December 28, 2022

    Here are five ways that WWF helped to fight the climate crisis in 2022.

    Young person at New York climate march 2019
  • Conservation highlights of 2022

    December 13, 2022

    Though the world faces two existential crises—a rapidly warming planet and declining biodiversity—and continues to battle a global pandemic, conservation still made major strides toward protecting wildlife, wild places, and people in 2022.

    aerial view of Colombian mountain range
  • How wildlife help combat the climate crisis

    November 29, 2022

    Combatting climate change helps save wildlife populations around the globe, but the reverse is also true: Wildlife conservation plays an essential role in regulating our climate. By saving wildlife, we help save the planet, including ourselves.

    Sea otter closeup of face
  • COP27 wrap up: funding the end of the world and other thoughts

    November 23, 2022

    All international climate talks begin with high hopes, and this meeting of the United Nations Climate Change Conference—known as COP27—in particular was being held up as the moment for implementation and climate justice. Instead, it appears that COP27 will be remembered as the COP of unmet expectations.

    World flags in a tight row
  • What's happening at this year’s international climate talks

    November 07, 2022

    Ambitions and promises need to translate into action. At this COP, we must set the stage to begin the real work and challenges around decarbonization.

    A white flag against a blue sky displays the logo for COP27
  • What to expect for Climate Week 2022

    September 19, 2022

    Climate Week is finally back at full force this year. Here’s what I’m looking for during this moment when the bright lights of the big city of New York are trained squarely on the climate crisis.

    New York City skyline in the dark
  • Why we need the Inflation Reduction Act

    August 05, 2022

    More than $350 billion in historic investments would set the United States on a solid path towards reaching its climate goals.

    Solar panels stretch across a field as the sun sets
  • The newest climate report looks grim. Here’s why we still have hope.

    April 04, 2022

    Countries have a long way to go in reducing carbon emissions to curb the worst impacts of global warming. Fortunately, climate action works, and evidence of it can be seen in the elimination of several gigatons of emissions per year.

    Flooded area near the Port of Manaus, capital of the Amazonas state, during Negro river's record water level
  • What is the sixth mass extinction and what can we do about it?

    The planet has experienced five previous mass extinction events, the last one occurring 65.5 million years ago which wiped out the dinosaurs from existence. Experts now believe we’re in the midst of a sixth mass extinction.

    A lone mangrove on parched land
  • New UN climate report predicts a dangerous future unless we act now

    February 28, 2022

    Increases in extreme weather events are surpassing the resilience of some human and natural systems. Here’s a look at some of the takeaways from the report—and what we can do to address the climate emergency.

    A small bit of water reflects the blue sky and clouds in a mostly dried up fishing pan
  • Cultivating resilience through nature

    January 25, 2022

    Laila Sanjida of Bangladesh, Pragya Motiwal of India, and Ruwanthi Jayasekara of Sri Lanka all experienced devastating floods in their home countries that inspired them to enter the field of flood management.

    Bamboo bundling sits on a green riverbank in Bangladesh
  • A cross-sector initiative looks to transform industrial emissions

    WWF Magazine: Spring 2022
    The Renewable Thermal Collaborative (RTC) seeks to slash carbon emissions from industry and other large energy buyers by scaling up renewable alternatives for providing thermal energy.
    Internal structure of a larger thermal power plant with metal pieces and a bright sky
  • Mangroves as a solution to the climate crisis

    January 04, 2022

    Mangroves, with their incredible ability to capture and store carbon, can be a solution to the climate crisis.

    A mangrove forest with aerial roots emerging from the water
  • Reflecting on COP26

    November 16, 2021

    WWF's SVP Climate Change, Marcene Mitchell, shares her thoughts on the 26th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

    David Bebber