Effects of Climate Change Stories

  • 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.
  • Scientists record 110 new species in Greater Mekong

    August 25, 2020

    A new WWF report details a vibrant diversity of plants and vertebrate animals in Southeast Asia that have never been scientifically identified.

    A close up of a lizard's face.
  • Polar bears, climate crisis, and oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

    August 17, 2020

    The Arctic Refuge has been a place undisturbed by development. But in 2017 Congress approved opening the Coastal Plain of the Refuge to allow for oil and gas drilling. WWF has been vocal in its opposition for a host of reasons, and there is one significant bit of logic even Fish and Wildlife agrees with—the climate crisis makes the future of the region uncertain. Oil and gas development only compounds the problem.

    Two young polar bears
  • 3 billion animals harmed by Australia’s fires

    July 28, 2020

    Australia’s bushfire crisis was one of the worst wildlife disasters in modern history. New WWF research reveals that the toll on wildlife was around three times higher than an earlier study estimated.

    Echidna walks amongst burnt bushland
  • World on fire

    WWF Magazine: Fall 2020
    As flames engulfed parts of the world last year, WWF sent emergency support to help local firefighters and communities in need.
    Landscape with dark smoke filling sky
  • Five ways sharks and rays help the world

    July 13, 2020

    Sharks and rays are some of the most enigmatic and misunderstood creatures of the ocean. They are crucial for the health of our planet. This blog describes five incredible ways in which sharks and rays help the world, from fighting climate change to digging through sand for their neighbors to feeding phytoplankton.

    Tiger shark swims over seagrass.
  • How cities around the world are working toward a greener future

    WWF Magazine: Summer 2020
    Cities generate 70% of global carbon emissions. But around the world, cities are making changes to ensure a greener future.
    Lund
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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