Global Climate Change

Saving the trees could slow climate change, new research shows. Each year, nearly 33 million acres of forestland around the world is cut down, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Tropical felling alone contributes 1.5 billion metric tons of carbon—some 20 percent…

Introduction Warming Climate Human Influence More Information Introduction Many lines of scientific evidence show the Earth s climate is changing. This page presents the latest information from several independent measures of observed climate change that illustrate an overwhelmingly compelling story…

Scientists will this week issue their starkest warning yet about the mounting dangers of global warming. In a report to be handed to political leaders in Stockholm on Monday, they will say that the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation have now led to a warming of the entire globe, including land…

When it comes to connecting the dots between climate change, extreme weather and health, the lines are clear. The earth is saying something with record heat, drought, storms and fire. Scientists are telling us this is what global warming looks like. Read more » Climate change will have a significant…

1. In Nepal, rapidly expanding glacial lakes are often unstable and prone to burst their banks, washing out communities below. USAID is working with high-mountain communities to help measure the impact of melting glaciers on Imja Lake, not far from Mount Everest base camp. 2. In Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s…

What is climate change? Global warming doesn’t mean we’ll all just have warmer weather in future. As the planet heats, climate patterns change. It’ll mean more extreme and unpredictable weather across the world – many places will be hotter, some wetter, others drier. We know the planet has warmed by…

Scientists are studing how the Sun effects Earth’s climate. (This image was taken by instruments aboard NASA s SOHO spacecraft.) Credit: NASA Herschel’s study didn’t make a big impact at the time because he did not have access to historical temperature records to make any useful comparisons. However…

This has been the warmest decade since 1880. In 2010, global surface temperatures tied 2005 as the warmest on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Scientists say that the earth could warm by an additional 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit during the 21st century if we fail to…

Figure A The terms global warming and climate change are often used interchangeably in newspapers and television reporting, but they are really separate things. Global warming refers to the rise in global average temperature. Climate change is how the climate of different areas around the globe change…