Climate change as a problem for the future, it is occurring right now. Ecosystems and communities in the United States and across the globe are already being affected by the ongoing changes in climate. Climate change influences the environment in many ways, including higher temperatures, rising sea levels, droughts, floods, and more. These events impact resources and systems we rely on and cherish, such as water, energy, transportation, wildlife, agriculture, ecosystems, and human health.

A Complex Challenge
Climate change influences our society in numerous ways. Droughts can damage food production and threaten human health. Flooding can spread disease, cause fatalities, and harm ecosystems and infrastructure. Health problems caused by drought, floods, and extreme weather increase mortality, reduce food availability, limit worker productivity, and ultimately affect the performance of our economy.

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Hope for the Future
There is still an opportunity to reduce the severity and impacts of climate change. Many solutions are already known, and researchers continue to discover new approaches. Experts believe that minimizing emissions to zero as quickly as possible can prevent the worst outcomes by limiting global warming. Achieving this goal will require investment in new technologies and infrastructure, which can also create jobs. For instance, improving renewable energy technology and facilities will be essential. Reducing emissions will also improve public health, saving lives and billions of dollars in healthcare costs.

Exploring Climate Change Impacts
The following sections examine how climate change affects natural resources and society.

Water
Climate change significantly impacts water resources, affecting communities and ecosystems. Rising temperatures are altering precipitation patterns, changing where, when, and how much rain and snow fall. Some regions are experiencing heavier storms, while others face more frequent droughts.

Flooding is becoming more common as extreme precipitation events increase in intensity and frequency across much of the United States compared to the early 20th century.

Droughts are also intensifying, particularly in the Western United States, where hotter weather increases water demand for agriculture. Just as humans sweat more in heat, plants lose more water through transpiration, requiring farmers to irrigate crops more heavily.

Snowpack is a key freshwater source for many communities. Snowmelt provides critical water, especially in areas like the Western United States with limited rainfall during warmer months. Rising temperatures reduce snow accumulation and cause earlier melting, making snowpack a less dependable water source.

Food
Agriculture is highly sensitive to climate and weather. Rising temperatures, water scarcity, diseases, and extreme weather challenge farmers and ranchers. While adaptation strategies and new technologies can help, some changes, like heat-related impacts on human and livestock health, are harder to manage. Farmworkers risk heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and heart attacks, while extreme heat also threatens animals.

Human Health
Climate change is already affecting public health. Shifts in weather and climate patterns create multiple risks:

Heat is one of the deadliest weather hazards.

Warmer oceans intensify hurricanes, leading to fatalities during and after storms.

Droughts increase wildfire risk, posing numerous health threats.

More flooding spreads waterborne illnesses, injuries, deaths, and chemical hazards.

Expanding ranges of mosquitoes, ticks, and other pests spread diseases to new areas.

The Environment
Climate change affects organisms and ecosystems unevenly. The Arctic is particularly vulnerable, warming at least twice as fast as the global average. Arctic warming contributes to global sea level rise through melting glaciers and ice sheets. Thermal expansion also raises sea levels, increasing coastal erosion and storm surge risks.

Impacts can compound, damaging ecosystems. Sea level rise can smother corals, while warming waters cause coral bleaching and stronger storms can destroy reefs. Coral ecosystems support thousands of species that rely on healthy reefs.

Some species adapt or benefit from climate changes, like longer growing seasons or earlier flowering. However, rapid changes can disrupt ecological relationships, such as when plants bloom before pollinators emerge. Some species shift or expand their geographic range, which can harm native species. Invasive species, like lionfish and ticks, may thrive under these conditions.

Ocean ecosystems face acidification as oceans absorb roughly 30% of human-produced carbon dioxide, which harms marine life.

Infrastructure
Infrastructure includes roads, bridges, ports, power grids, internet networks, and other transportation and communication systems. Much of it was designed without climate change in mind, leaving it vulnerable to extreme weather events.

Extreme heat increases cooling demands, stressing energy grids. Heavy rainfall can overwhelm drainage systems, causing floods that shut down roads, transportation, and businesses. Coastal infrastructure faces risks from rising seas, with nearly 40% of Americans living in coastal counties. Sea level rise leads to erosion, high-tide flooding, and may require communities to adapt or relocate, a process called managed retreat.

Many communities are unprepared for climate-related hazards. Research helps identify current and future risks and recommends strategies. Building resilient infrastructure and educating city planners, emergency managers, educators, and the public is crucial for preparing society for climate change impacts.

Causes and Consequences of Climate Change
Burning fossil fuels—such as coal, oil, and natural gas—is the leading driver of global climate change, contributing more than 75% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90% of all carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.

These greenhouse gases form a layer around the planet, trapping heat from the sun. This process causes global warming and alters the climate. Currently, the Earth is warming faster than at any time in recorded history. Rising temperatures are shifting weather patterns and disturbing the natural balance, creating significant risks for humans and all living organisms on the planet.

Generating Energy
Producing electricity and heat by burning fossil fuels is a major source of global emissions. Most of the world’s electricity still comes from coal, oil, or natural gas, which release carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide—potent greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. Just over a quarter of global electricity comes from wind, solar, and other renewable sources, which emit little to no greenhouse gases or air pollutants compared to fossil fuels.

Industrial Production
Factories and industrial activities generate significant emissions, mainly from burning fossil fuels to power the production of items like cement, steel, electronics, plastics, clothing, and other goods. Mining and other industrial processes also release gases, as does construction. Many machines in factories run on coal, oil, or gas, and some products, such as plastics, are made from fossil fuel–based chemicals. Manufacturing is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.

Deforestation
Cutting down forests for farming, grazing, or other purposes releases the carbon stored in trees. Each year, about 12 million hectares of forest are lost. Forests naturally absorb carbon dioxide, so clearing them reduces the planet’s ability to remove emissions from the atmosphere. Deforestation, combined with agriculture and other land use changes, is responsible for roughly one-fourth of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Transportation
Most cars, trucks, ships, and airplanes run on fossil fuels, making transportation a major source of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide. Road vehicles contribute the most due to burning gasoline and diesel, while emissions from planes and ships continue to rise. Transportation accounts for nearly a quarter of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, with demand projected to grow in the coming years.

Food Production
Food production generates carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases in multiple ways: clearing land for farming or grazing, livestock digestion, fertilizer and manure use, and operating farm machinery or fishing boats, often powered by fossil fuels. Packaging and transporting food also contribute emissions. Overall, agriculture and food systems are major drivers of climate change.

Energy Use in Buildings
Residential and commercial buildings consume more than half of global electricity. Relying on coal, oil, and gas for heating and cooling releases substantial greenhouse gases. Rising energy demand for air conditioning, heating, lighting, appliances, and electronic devices has caused carbon dioxide emissions from buildings to increase in recent years.

High Consumption
Household energy use, transportation, diet, and waste production all contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Consumption of goods such as clothing, electronics, and plastics also plays a significant role. Private households account for a large portion of global emissions, and wealthier populations are the biggest contributors: the richest 1% of people produce more emissions than the poorest 50%. Our lifestyles have a strong impact on the health of the planet.

Rising Temperatures
As greenhouse gas levels increase, global surface temperatures also climb. The decade from 2011 to 2020 is the hottest ever recorded. Since the 1980s, each decade has been warmer than the one before. Almost all land areas are experiencing more extremely hot days and heatwaves. Higher temperatures lead to more heat-related illnesses and make outdoor work more challenging. Hotter conditions also make wildfires ignite more easily and spread faster. The Arctic is warming at least twice as quickly as the global average.

Stronger Storms
Severe storms have become more powerful and frequent in many regions. Rising temperatures cause more evaporation, intensifying heavy rainfall and flooding, which leads to more destructive storms. Warmer oceans also affect the strength and frequency of tropical storms. Cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons draw energy from warm ocean waters. These storms often devastate homes and communities, causing fatalities and enormous economic damage.

Increasing Drought
Climate change is reducing water availability in many areas. Global warming worsens water scarcity in regions already under stress and increases the risk of droughts that harm crops and ecosystems. Droughts can also trigger massive sand and dust storms that transport billions of tons of sand across continents. Expanding deserts reduce land available for food production, leaving many people at risk of water shortages.

Warming and Rising Oceans
The ocean absorbs most of the heat from global warming. Ocean temperatures have risen sharply over the past two decades, at all depths. As water warms, it expands, contributing to sea level rise. Melting ice sheets further raise seas, threatening coastal and island communities. The ocean also absorbs carbon dioxide, but higher levels make it more acidic, endangering marine species and coral reefs.

Species at Risk
Climate change threatens the survival of animals and plants on land and in the ocean. Risks grow as temperatures rise. Human activity and climate change have accelerated species loss to rates 1,000 times higher than historical averages. About one million species face the possibility of extinction in the coming decades. Forest fires, extreme weather, invasive pests, and diseases are among the many climate-related threats. Some species can migrate to survive, but others cannot.

Food Insecurity
Shifts in climate and extreme weather are contributing to global hunger and poor nutrition. Crops, livestock, and fisheries may be damaged or less productive. Ocean acidification threatens marine food resources that feed billions. Changes in snow and ice cover in Arctic regions disrupt traditional hunting, herding, and fishing. Heat stress reduces water and grazing land, lowering crop yields and affecting livestock.

Health Impacts
Climate change is the largest health threat facing humanity today. Impacts are already harming people through air pollution, disease outbreaks, extreme weather, forced migration, mental health pressures, and increased hunger. Environmental factors cause about 13 million deaths annually. Changing climates expand disease ranges, while extreme weather events increase fatalities and strain healthcare systems.

Poverty and Displacement
Climate change worsens the conditions that lead to poverty. Floods can destroy homes and livelihoods in urban slums. Heat makes outdoor work difficult. Water shortages affect food production. From 2010 to 2019, weather-related events displaced roughly 23.1 million people per year, leaving many vulnerable to poverty. Most displaced individuals come from countries that are highly vulnerable and least prepared to adapt to climate impacts.