Climate Change: What's Really Happening Right Now?

Climate change is speeding up. It's not just getting warmer; it's getting warmer faster. The past few years have seen record-breaking temperatures. A big study in June showed that the average global temperature is now rising by 0. 27 degrees Celsius every ten years. That's almost 50% faster than it was in the 1990s and 2000s. Sea levels are also rising faster. Over the last decade, they've been going up by about 4. 5 millimeters each year. That's more than double the rate from the 1900s. If things keep going like this, the world will likely cross the 1. 5-degree warming threshold around 2030. Scientists warn that this could lead to big, irreversible changes. Some parts of the environment are already changing in big ways. Warm-water corals are dying off because of repeated heatwaves. This could be the first "tipping point, " where an ecosystem starts to change into something different. The Amazon rainforest might also start to die back and turn into savannah if deforestation continues and warming crosses 1. 5 degrees. In Greenland, melting ice could cause a major ocean current to collapse earlier than expected. This current, called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), helps keep winters mild in Europe. In Antarctica, melting ice is exposing dark water, which absorbs more heat and speeds up warming. It's also affecting the growth of phytoplankton, which help absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. Wildfires are another big problem. Between March 2024 and February 2025, about 3. 7 million square kilometers burned. That's an area roughly the size of India and Norway combined. These fires are releasing more CO2 than before, as they're burning through dense forests. Heat is also becoming a major health risk. About half the world's population is already struggling with heat-related issues. Worker productivity drops by 2-3% for every degree above 20 degrees Celsius. Last year, global losses from lost productivity were over $1 trillion. Scientists are working to better understand and measure these risks. For example, in Europe, one team estimated that more than 24, 400 deaths this summer were related to heat exposure. They said up to 70% of those deaths could be linked to climate change. Meanwhile, climate science is under attack in some places. In the U. S. , the Trump administration is trying to cut funding for agencies that collect and monitor climate and weather data. This has scientists worried, as U. S. leadership in this area is hard to replace. However, other countries like China, the UK, Japan, and the European Union are increasing their public science spending.