Sea levels are rising and oceans are becoming warmer. Longer, more intense droughts threaten crops, wildlife and freshwater supplies. From polar bears in the Arctic to marine turtles off the coast of Africa, our planet’s diversity of life is at risk from the changing climate.

How bad is the situation?

Climate change poses new challenges for both humans and wild animals, as more frequent and intense droughts, storms, heat waves, rising sea levels, melting glaciers, and warming oceans directly threaten the survival of various species and their habitats. These environmental changes can cause harm to animals and destroy the places they call home, causing immense damage to people's livelihoods and communities.

As the effects of climate change continue to worsen, the frequency and severity of extreme weather events are also increasing. The consequences of these events are being felt by people in cities and towns across the United States, with heat waves, wildfires, coastal storms, and flooding becoming more common occurrences. Such events have a profound impact on the lives and well-being of those affected, making it crucial to address the root causes of climate change and take meaningful action to mitigate its effects.

Overall, the impacts of climate change are being felt by both humans and animals, with a growing urgency to address the issue and take concrete steps to safeguard the environment for future generations.

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Who are the victims?

Global warming poses a significant risk not just to the billions of humans living on our planet, but to the infinite number of creatures that share the earth with us. The consequences of climate change are not just a future concern; they are already having widespread effects on our environment. Glaciers and ice sheets are shrinking, river and lake ice is breaking up earlier, and plants and animals are experiencing shifts in their geographic ranges and blooming periods.

The scientific community has been warning for years that global climate change would have far-reaching effects, and now we are seeing these predictions come to fruition. Sea ice loss, accelerated sea level rise, and longer, more intense heat waves are just a few of the many changes occurring at a faster rate than previously assessed. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), established by the United Nations to assess the science behind climate change, warns that modern humans have never before seen these observed changes in our global climate, and that some of these changes may be irreversible over the next hundreds to thousands of years.

Scientists have high confidence that global temperatures will continue to rise for decades to come, primarily due to greenhouse gases produced by human activities. This is a critical issue that affects everyone and everything.

What's being done

Reducing global carbon emissions is crucial to mitigate the severe effects of climate change. However, it is equally important to prepare for the inevitable consequences, such as rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, ocean acidification, sea level rise, and extreme weather events. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) collaborates with local communities, governments, and other stakeholders worldwide to enhance the resilience of both nature and people to adapt to the challenges of a changing climate. Some of the strategies include promoting new farming techniques, community weather monitoring, and establishing seed banks to increase the resilience of Nepalese communities; planting beach vegetation to shade marine turtle nests in the Caribbean; ensuring access to freshwater for elephants in Thailand during droughts; and identifying areas with solid Arctic sea ice that polar bears can inhabit for decades to come.

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