Effects of Climate Change Stories

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

The US government announced 2018 as the fourth warmest year on record—and a costly one too. Learn what's happening now and what you can do to help a warming climate.

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.

Coral reefs are as vulnerable as they are beautiful; climate change is warming ocean waters and devastating reefs globally. Monitoring the health and resilience of coral reefs is a lengthy and slow process. That’s why WWF is turning to an innovative tool that speeds up the collection of valuable coral reef data and allows scientists to share new information sooner.

The world is already 1° C hotter than it was between 1850 and 1900. There’s no question that limiting warming to 1.5° F will be difficult, but we have the technology needed to succeed.

The United Nations climate talks are the most important round of negotiations since the Paris Agreement was reached three years ago. There is still time for us to prevent the worst impacts of climate change and create a safer future, but that window is closing fast.

Kruger leads WWF’s efforts to help polar bears and other Arctic marine mammals coexist alongside people in an increasingly warmer and ice-free Arctic.

Last winter, a WWF census found a total of 61 snow leopards in Russia’s Altai-Sayan Ecoregion, a remote landscape where high, snowy mountain ranges offer a last refuge for this rare feline. Snow leopard numbers have been relatively steady in Russia since WWF and partners first began monitoring them three years ago. But with fewer than 7,000 estimated to live in the wild, they remain endangered.

They may not be household names, but these ecosystems are vital to the health of our planet. They support an incredible range of plants and animals, as well as millions of people and their communities, and play a critical role in fighting climate change.

Covering more than 70% of our planet’s surface, the ocean contains the largest diversity of life on Earth and affects everything from global weather patterns to food systems. Learn what steps you can take help protect the ocean. 

While residents of Sikkim honor the endangered red panda, they also understand the species is under a growing threat. Climate change is impacting species across the globe and red pandas—with less than 10,000 left in the wild—are not immune.

At WWF, we’re engaging with millions of Americans, leading businesses, and government leaders to tackle climate change. Here are nine reasons why we’re hopeful in the face of this threat.

Up to half of plant and animal species in the world’s most naturally rich areas—including the Amazon and the Galápagos—could face extinction by the turn of the century due to climate change if carbon emissions continue to rise unchecked.

January 2018 brought record-low sea ice cover to the Arctic, according to new data released by the US government. That’s bad news for the ocean, wildlife, and local communities that rely on both for survival.