This is why fighting climate change is so urgent

Climate change is already having dire consequences. We’re feeling the impacts of global warming now:

• Rising temperatures have worsened extreme weather events.
• The sea ice that Arctic animals rely on has dwindled.
• Wildfire seasons are growing longer.
• Seasonal allergies are showing up earlier — and lingering.

What’s causing climate change?

Humans are the main cause of climate change today — we chop down forests and burn fossil fuels, producing pollution that traps heat in the atmosphere. This is causing average temperatures to rise worldwide.

That global warming trend is increasingly disrupting weather patterns all over the world.

Earth has already warmed by over 1 degree Celsius since the late 19th century, before industry started to boom. (Every increase of 1 degree Celsius is an increase of 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit.)

Learn more about climate change

Why this warming is such a big deal

A degree or two may not sound like much, but consider that in the human body, having a fever that brings our body temperature up just 2 degrees Fahrenheit can have a big effect on how we feel and function.

Likewise, small increases in the Earth’s temperature can have serious impacts:

• More hot days — and more people facing severe heatwaves
• Higher sea levels, leading to more dangerous and costly flooding
• Changes to where many species of animals and plants can live

Already, farmers are struggling to keep up with shifting weather patterns. Homeowners are grappling with rising insurance costs — and people everywhere are worried about what the future will look like for the next generation.

Climate change is stealing precious moments of childhood as smoke from worsening wildfires makes it unhealthy to play outside and extreme heat prompts schools to cancel classes. Scientists are also raising the alarm that warmer weather could help disease-carrying ticks and mosquitoes expand their reach.

These are just a few of the reasons why we should care about global warming — and why it’s important that we take action to address the problem.

3 big ways climate change is impacting your life

There’s still time to act on climate change

Whether it’s a shift of 1 degree or 2 degrees, these warming levels aren’t magic thresholds. Every increase is worse for the planet than the last.

But they're not inevitable.

We must act now to slow the pace of global warming. With your help, we can make a real difference.