Climate change is real and it's getting worse. Global temperature averages are creeping upward, seas are warming, rising and becoming more acidic, and extreme weather events such as droughts, wildfires, floods and powerful storms are becoming more common. The threat is so great that humanity must act now to defuse what United Nations scientists call a "climate time bomb" which, if ignored, will yield "untold suffering."
At Live Science, our expert writers and editors cover the impact of global warming, and the measures that scientists, world leaders and innovators are taking to reduce our harmful impact on the planet, with the latest climate change news, features and articles.
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Latest about Climate Change
January 2025 hottest on record despite US cold and La Niña
La Niña and record cold temperatures in the U.S. should have made Earth cooler, but January 2025 was still the hottest on record, with an average global warming of 3.15 F (1.75 C) above pre-industrial levels.
Alaska's ice is melting in front of our eyes, staggering satellite shots show
Unusual weather patterns and climate change have been driving stark changes in the northwestern state. Now, new satellite images show the extent of this transformation.
Greenland's ice sheet — the second biggest in the world — is cracking open at alarming speed, scientists discover
New 3D maps of the Greenland Ice Sheet show how huge cracks in the ice that accelerate melting expanded between 2016 and 2021.
'Extreme' warming in the Arctic as North Pole temperatures swell 36 F above average
The North Pole was above freezing on Sunday after an extreme winter warming event caused temperatures to climb more than 36 F (20 C) in the high Arctic.
Rat numbers are skyrocketing across US cities — and it's only going to get worse
Rat populations are growing in cities around the world because of climate change. A new study explains why this is happening now and what we can do about it.
Ocean warming 4 times faster than in 1980s — and likely to accelerate in coming decades
Ocean warming has more than quadrupled in recent decades and is likely to accelerate even faster if humanity fails to address climate change, scientists find.
Catastrophic tipping point in Greenland reached as crystal blue lakes turn brown, belch out carbon dioxide
Record heat and rain turned thousands of Greenland lakes brown in 2022 as they hit a tipping point and began emitting carbon dioxide.
2024 was the hottest year on record, and the 1st to breach the 1.5 C global warming limit, data reveals
Scientists have warned that the Paris Agreement to limit global warming will likely be breached as data reveals 2024 was the hottest year in human history.
