Climate Stories

  • Tatyana Minenko, polar bear patrol team leader

    Every fall, the Ryrkaipiy polar bear patrol, with the support of WWF Russia, works to protect the community and prevent human-wildlife conflict. Tatyana Minenko has been leading the patrol team since 2006. That’s when the climate crisis increased conflict in her village.

    Closeup of a woman looking through binnoculars, wearing yellow gloves and a white hat, blurry background
  • 5 ways 'We Are Still In' kept the United States in the fight against the climate crisis

    We Are Still In led the United States in climate action by maintaining international leadership and increasing domestic ambition.

    solar panels on a building in Austin Texas
  • Climate Crowd

    WWF Magazine: Winter 2020
    Pilot projects implemented in Zimbabwe work to address the impact of climate change and reduce pressure on natural ecosystems, benefiting the people and land alike.
    Aerial view of Victoria Falls with rainbow
  • Why climate change could be bad for beer

    WWF Magazine: Winter 2020
    As erratic weather and droughts driven by climate change impact crops and freshwater, the world’s favorite fermented beverage could take a hit.
    Closeup of glass of beer
  • The future of flight in an era of climate crisis

    September 17, 2020

    Learn four steps to rebuild air travel in a way that protects us against dangerous climate change.

    airplane on a runway
  • Unparalleled in modern history, West Coast fires necessitate urgent climate action

    September 17, 2020

    Apocalyptic scenes have multiplied in recent weeks, as fires claim lives and incinerate communities across the West Coast. The flames are fueled by a confluence of interwoven drivers, including decades of fire management practices focused on fire suppression paired with the worsening climate crisis.

    Buildings surrounded in an orange glow.
  • Park City, Utah recognized as a national leader on climate action

    September 15, 2020

    Park City, Utah is the U.S. National Winner of WWF’s One Planet City Challenge in recognition of its leadership addressing the climate crisis.

    Glowing storefronts amid a pink sunset.
  • How WWF is helping threatened species adapt to climate change

    WWF Magazine: Summer 2020
    Climate change-related threats to biodiversity are happening now. As habitats change, extreme weather events increase, and temperatures rise, we need new tools to help biodiversity adapt.
    Declining species
  • Nature may be the answer to how countries act on the climate crisis

    There are many approaches that governments can take to mitigate their climate emissions and prepare for inevitable change, but sometimes overlooked is the role nature itself can play. Nature-based solutions are ecosystem conservation, management, and restoration projects designed to address a wide range of challenges while also benefiting biodiversity and human well-being.

    a forest in Thailand
  • Changing how we build for people and nature in a rapidly warming world

    February 24, 2020

    We can and must rethink our approach to development—what it looks like, what it’s delivering, and how it’s meeting our needs—to ensure that it's more useful for people and less harmful to wildlife.

    A road grader smooths the dirt road in Alaska.
  • US set to have the highest economic loss due to nature loss

    February 11, 2020

    In a first-of-its-kind study, the Global Futures Report calculates the economic cost of nature’s decline across 140 countries using a new economic and environmental modeling technique to assess what the macroeconomic impact would be if the world didn’t act now to protect the planet. The United States will see the losses of annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) totaling $83 billion taken from its economy each year by 2050 if the world doesn’t act urgently to address the global environmental crisis.

    Eroding cliffs along the shoreline of Bristol Bay near the former village of Meshik. The village was completed relocated several miles inland due to coastal erosion in Port Heiden, Alaska, United States.
  • Port Heiden, Alaska: the town that moved

    WWF Magazine: Spring 2020
    Beginning in 1981, the coastal community was forced to move inland when it became clear that erosion, accelerated by retreating sea ice and strong storms, would one day take the town altogether.
    Riverbank
  • 2019 is the second hottest year on record

    January 15, 2020

    Last year was the second hottest on record, closing out the warmest decade so far. This is the sixth consecutive year in which global temperatures were the highest on record—an unprecedented streak, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

    An ice lagoon is seen on a melting glacier in, Jokulsarlon, Iceland
  • What is climate overshoot and why does it matter?

    December 11, 2019

    The earth’s temperature is rising, and for decades scientists have focused on limiting the temperature increase to 1.5°C. Many reports warn that exceeding the 1.5°C limit would have irreversible impacts on people, species, and ecosystems. And now it’s now becoming evident that before the climate can stabilize at 1.5°C, it will likely overshoot it.

    Wildebeest migration across river
  • What is a carbon tax and how could it help us fight the climate crisis?

    December 10, 2019

    How can we realistically cut carbon emissions and limit global warming? One key way is by pricing carbon—placing a tax on every ton of greenhouse gas emitted to make cleaner alternatives competitive.

    Airplane and contrails
  • COP25: WWF and the international climate talks

    Climate change impacts all parts of the world, and finding solutions to the challenges posed by such an immense threat will require action from every country. Annual international climate talks are key to effectively addressing the problem.

    flags outside at COP22
  • The good news about climate change

    There is no question that the climate crisis is here right now. But there is good news: every day we see more individuals, organizations, businesses, and governments responding to the crisis.

    Activists march for climate action in New York City in 2019
  • Climate Allies

    WWF Magazine: Winter 2019
    The Alliances for Climate Action initiative was formed by WWF and partners to connect an international network of domestic coalitions committed to accelerating the transition to a zero-carbon future.
    Representatives from CREA, WWF, and RAMCC, talk with Esteban, Farm Manager at the Miles family estate in Bustinza, Santa Fe, Argentina
  • WWF's Mariana Panuncio-Feldman on tackling climate change together

    WWF Magazine: Winter 2019
    I work with governments, businesses, and others around the world to address runaway climate change. Our greatest challenge is the inertia of a centuries-old political and economic system.
    Mariana Panuncio-Feldman
  • Melting Down and Rising Up

    September 25, 2019

    What should be frozen solid is now thawing and melting away—and communities are already dealing with the consequences. From Alaska to Miami to Bangladesh, learn how ice loss and sea level rise are impacting communities.

    Miami skyline from the water
  • One billion people threatened by climate crisis risks to oceans, polar, and mountain regions

    September 25, 2019

    Drastic and swift-moving changes to our oceans and the cryosphere—the Earth’s snow and ice-covered places—are one of the most dramatic consequences of global warming.

    Permafrost thawing in Alaska
  • Scientists confirm second-lowest summer sea ice extent in the Arctic

    An analysis of satellite imagery determined the annual sea ice minimum in 2019 tied the record for second-lowest.

    Aerial view of sea ice off the coast of Greenland
  • Alaska Resilient and Rising

    A close look at the coastline reveals thawing permafrost oozing over the snow along the Chukchi Sea. The Arctic is warming twice as fast—and quite possibly faster—than any other place on the planet.

    Permafrost thawing in Alaska
  • 2020: A critical year for our future and for the climate

    There is still a gap between what countries pledged to do in the Paris Agreement and what scientists say is needed to avert climate catastrophe. To address this, countries set five-year milestones to take stock of progress and strengthen commitments with the first of these opportunities coming in 2020.

    Aftermath of Hurricane Florence in North Carolina