What is climate change?
Climate change is the long-term alteration of temperature and typical weather patterns across the planet.
Human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels and land-use change, are the primary drivers of climate change. Its impacts are becoming more frequent and severe, damaging ecosystems, infrastructure, economies, and human health around the world.
The 2015 Paris agreement established a global commitment to limit long-term warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C.
Since then, global temperatures have continued to rise. June 2024 marked the twelfth consecutive month in which global temperatures exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. More significantly, 2024 became the first calendar year on record with an average global temperature above the 1.5°C threshold, and the 2023-2025 period averaged more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. In 2025, the global average temperature was approximately 1.44°C above the 1850-1900 baseline, making it one of the three warmest years ever recorded.
These records demonstrate that the world is moving closer to the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C limit for long-term warming. Now, more than ever, urgent and sustained action is needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen resilience, and mitigate the impacts of climate change for current and future generations.
For more information explaining Climate Change and its impacts:
“We know it’s happening, and we know why: carbon pollution from fossil fuels is warming our planet and throwing natural systems out of balance.”
“Left unchecked, humans and nature will experience catastrophic warming, with worsening droughts, greater sea level rise and mass extinction of species. ”
“Climate change is happening and is due to human activity, this includes global warming and greater risk of flooding, droughts and heat waves.”
“Recent data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reveals that June 2024 is the 12th consecutive month where global temperatures have reached 1.5°C above pre-industrial averages”.
