Effects of Climate Change Stories

  • A hue-shifting chameleon's island home is under threat

    WWF Magazine: Summer 2020
    Madagascar is home to remarkable, unique biodiversity. Unfortunately, threats to the island’s flora and fauna abound. Without strong conservation strategies, several species could be lost for good.
    Chameleon
  • The Deluge

    WWF Magazine: Summer 2020
    As global average temperatures rise, parts of Bangladesh are experiencing severe, unprecedented flooding. A photographer shares a glimpse of what life looks like on the front lines of climate change.
    Girl on car
  • Searching for koalas that survived bushfires in Australia

    WWF Magazine: Summer 2020
    In the aftermath of Australia’s devastating bushfires, WWF deployed field detection dogs to help locate surviving wildlife. During five days of searches in January 2020, the dogs found 10 koalas.
    Dog and trainer in woods
  • 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
  • New study indicates a 53% decrease in area occupied by monarch butterflies

    March 13, 2020

    The latest survey assessing the population of monarch butterflies that winter in Mexico indicates a population decrease of 53% since the previous season. In the 2019-2020 wintering season, the area of forest occupied by monarch butterflies was 7 acres, down from 15 acres in the 2018 - 2019 season.

    Monarch butterflies in Mexico reserve
  • 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 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
  • 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
  • A year after the Tubbs fire ravaged California, activist Devyn Friedfel raises the alarm on climate change

    September 12, 2019

    Devyn Friedfel is working to help communities in California prepare for a future that will see more fires and droughts. He knows that stopping climate change isn’t an option, so it’s important that mitigate and adapt to its effects.

    A year after the Tubbs fire ravaged California, activist Devyn Friedfel raises the alarm on climate change
  • From the front lines of climate change, Arctic Youth Ambassador Gabriel Stenek shares one village’s story

    September 03, 2019

    Located on a tiny island in the Chukchi Sea, just north of the Bering Strait and 20 miles below the Arctic Circle, Shishmaref has struggled for decades with coastal erosion and flooding attributed to climate change. Arctic Youth Ambassador, Gabriel Stenek share's its story.

    Portrait of WWF Arctic Youth Ambassador.
  • Miami Rising Up


    Miami is often dubbed the "ground zero" for climate change. But as sea levels rise, so, too, does a generation of leaders showing the world what climate action looks like and fighting for the only home we know.

    Miami skyline from the water
  • Four threats to manatees and mangroves in Florida – and how we can save them

    Manatees love mangroves; they use them for food and a quiet place to rest and raise their young. But these two key features of the Florida coasts are in trouble.

    Manatee beneath a river surface
  • Hot spot

    WWF Magazine: Fall 2019
    As global temperatures shoot up, the vast storehouse of ice in Antarctica is at risk. A team tags whales, shares data, and works together to protect a changing ecosystem at the bottom of the world.
    Humpback breaching
  • What’s the difference between climate change mitigation and adaptation?

    Climate change adaptation and mitigation are both equally important and time-sensitive in today's climate crisis. We must do both.

    flooded stairs WW2124571 Sean Rayford/Stringer
  • Edge of the World

    WWF Magazine: Summer 2019
    Ice is a defining factor in Ittoqqortoormiit, a village of 350 on the coast of Greenland. But the ice is changing and the community now works to protect itself from the impacts of climate change.
    James Morgan / WWF-US
  • How climate change could impact a beloved spice

    WWF Magazine: Spring 2019
    Vanilla has been cultivated for hundreds of years. But with most of the crop grown in places prone to extreme weather events, the market may become increasingly unpredictable as the climate changes.
    Vanilla farmers, Ambosihasina, Madagascar