Global Warming

In early February, the Trump administration formally rejected the scientific finding that greenhouse gases threaten human life and wellbeing. Known as the endangerment finding, the 2009 ruling empowered the Environmental Protection Agency to impose regulations that limit carbon dioxide, methane, and other pollution from oil and gas wells, tailpipes, smokestacks and other sources that burn fossil fuels.

The oceanic conditions that create the planet’s most powerful hurricanes and typhoons are heating up in the North Atlantic and Western Pacific, fueled by warm water that now extends far below the ocean surface. These expanding hot spots can supercharge the strongest storms.

Greenland is one of the fastest-melting cryosphere regions on Earth. In fact, scientists say the large-scale melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet is irreversible, and it’s happening now at an accelerating rate. Understanding what is driving this melting is crucial for predicting how much sea levels will rise and what that means for coastal communities around the world.

There are around 200,000 glaciers in the world and virtually all of them are melting with the rate accelerating. More than half of the world’s population makes use of meltwater from glaciers and snow for drinking, agriculture, and energy. Nearly 2 billion depend on seasonal glacier melt that supplies rivers and aquifers. This is especially true in Asia and in the Andes.

The world’s oceans just keep getting hotter. International analysis published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences finds that the oceans stored more heat in 2025 than in any year since modern measurements began.

Food choices shape far more than our health. They influence land use, water resources, and the amount of heat-trapping pollution released into the atmosphere. Because of this wide-reaching impact, scientists have begun to measure just how much dietary change is needed to slow climate change.

Global surface temperature is the average temperature of the Earth’s surface at a given time. It is a combination of the near-surface air temperature over land and the sea surface temperature, weighted by their respective areas. Global temperature records, using modern instruments for consistent worldwide data, officially began in 1880. So, there is nearly a 150-year continuous record.

The changing climate poses a major threat to polar bear survival. But new research suggests that rising temperatures may be altering polar bear DNA in ways that help them adapt and endure in increasingly challenging environments.

Somewhere between 97% and 99.9% of actively publishing climate scientists agree that climate change is happening and is primarily caused by human activities. However, while science is based on observations and evidence, politics is not.

According to a new study, mountains around the world are warming faster than surrounding lowlands. The increased heat at higher elevations is melting glaciers and reducing snowfall. This threatens a vital source of fresh water for more than a billion people.