Climate Stories

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

As the climate crisis fuels more intense disasters, environmental issues and humanitarian needs are growing increasingly intertwined. WWF's Anita van Breda takes some time to reflect on the past and look toward the future.

Wildfires are growing increasingly devastating and are both contributing to and being exacerbated by the worsening climate crisis. But there are ways that we can better manage fires so to mitigate their damage and protect communities and wildlife. 

Living in a ger, meaning 'home' in Mongolia, and more commonly referred to as a 'yurt' in English, has grown popular in many places around the world. But its origin lies in central Asia, particularly across the steppes of Mongolia. Set up to be a portable home, the ger has been a traditional part of the life of nomadic herders here for millennia. But this way of life is threatened by the climate crisis.

My hope for the future is we look back and see the summer of 2021 as the turning point in the climate crisis—the moment when humanity took account of what we are doing and changed course.

A new comprehensive report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessing the latest state of global climate science reveals that global temperatures now hover around 1.1°C above preindustrial levels and our actions have already irreversibly altered the Earth.

WWF is launching a new project to make wildlife like tapirs less vulnerable to drought during the dry season by installing and monitoring artificial water sources in Mexico’s Calakmul Biosphere Reserve through the Wildlife Adaptation Innovation Fund.

Sixty percent of Fortune 500 companies have set goals to act on the climate crisis and address energy use, yet those ambitions vary dramatically—and are not happening at the speed or scale needed to stave off the worst impacts of a warming planet, according to a new WWF report.

On Earth Day, the Biden administration took a big step forward by releasing the US national climate plan at the international Leaders Climate Summit that nearly doubles the previous administration's commitment with a pledge to cut US emissions by at least 50% from 2005 levels by 2030.

As more and more people take to the skies, scientists project that without advances in airplane efficiency and industry-wide regulations, commercial aviation emissions could triple by 2050.

In other words: As ocean temperatures rise and habitats change, will whales, sharks, rays, dolphins, turtles, and other sea creatures adapt or go extinct?

On Earth Day 2021, President Biden will host an international Leaders Climate Summit to rally world leaders around climate change. The goal is for countries to commit to strong measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also strengthening their climate resilience plans. 

Thermal emissions are the greenhouse gases released from the processes of heating and cooling. Here are four things you need to know about them and what WWF is doing to tackle this challenge.