We often think about human-induced climate change as something that will happen in the future, but it is happening now. Ecosystems and people in the United States and around the world are affected by the ongoing process of climate change today.
A collage of typical climate and weather-related events: floods, heatwaves, drought, hurricanes, wildfires and loss of glacial ice. (Image credit: NOAA)
Climate change affects the environment in many different ways, including rising temperatures, sea level rise, drought, flooding, and more. These events affect things that we depend upon and value, like water, energy, transportation, wildlife, agriculture, ecosystems, and human health.
Our changing climate
NOAA monitors weather and climate around the world. Here are some of the ways that climate change is affecting our planet. You can explore more at NOAA’s Global Climate Dashboard.
Temperature increased about 2°F (1.1°C) from 1850 to 2023. Updated January 2024.
Global average sea level has risen 8–9 inches (21–24 centimeters) since 1880. Updated April 2022.
Climate reference glaciers tracked by the World Glacier Monitoring Service have lost ice for the past 36 years in a row. Updated May 2024.
Between 1979 and 2021, the Arctic Ocean lost sea ice at an average of 31,100 square miles, an area the size of South Carolina, per year. Updated October 2022.
There is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is 50% higher than it was before the Industrial Revolution. Updated April 2024.
Snow is melting earlier in the Northern Hemisphere. Between 1967 and 2022, late spring (April-June) snow cover decreased. Updated August 2022.
A complex issue
Climate change impacts our society in many different ways. Drought can harm food production and human health. Flooding can lead to spread of disease, death, and damage ecosystems and infrastructure. Human health issues that result from drought, flooding, and other weather conditions increase the death rate, change food availability, and limit how much a worker can get done, and ultimately the productivity of our economy.
Climate change affects everyone, but the impacts are uneven across the country and around the world. Even within one community, climate change can affect one neighborhood or person more than another. Long-standing differences in income and opportunity, or socioeconomic inequalities, can make some groups more vulnerable. Communities that have less access to resources to protect themselves or cope with impacts are often the same communities that are also more exposed to hazards.
Hope for the future
There is still time to lessen the impacts and severity of climate change. We already know many of the problems and solutions offsite link, and researchers continue to find new ones. Experts believe we can avoid the worst outcomes by reducing emissions to zero as quickly as possible, which will limit warming offsite link. To meet this goal, we will have to invest in new technology and infrastructure, which will spur job growth. For example, we will need to continue improving technology and facilities that capture and process renewable energy. Lowering emissions will also benefit human health, saving countless lives and billions of dollars in expenses related to health.
Data and visualizations from the first six months of 2020 to examine the effect that COVID-19 restrictions had on air quality.
Diving deeper into climate change impacts
In the following sections, we will look at some of the effects climate change has on our resources and society. Use the links below to jump to a specific section.
Water
The effects of climate change on our water resources can have a big impact on our world and our lives. Patterns of where, when, and how much precipitation falls are changing as temperatures rise. Some areas are experiencing heavier rain events while others are having more droughts.
Flooding is an increasing issue as our climate is changing. Compared to the beginning of the 20th century, precipitation events are stronger, heavier, and more frequent across most of the United States.
Drought is also becoming more common, especially in the Western United States. We are using more water during hot weather, especially for agriculture. Much like we sweat more when it is hot out, hot weather causes plants to lose, or transpire, more water. Then, farmers must give their crops more water.
Snowpack is an important source of fresh water for many people. As the snow melts, fresh water becomes available for use. Snowmelt is particularly important in regions like the Western United States where there is not much precipitation in warmer months. But as temperatures warm, there is less snow and snow begins to melt earlier in the year. This means that snowpack is less likely to be a reliable source of water.
The Redlands Mesa area outside Hotchkiss, Colorado, is particularly at risk to wildfires. But, with funding from NOAA’s Environmental Literacy Program, local high school students are educating their local community about wildfire safety.
Food
Our food supply depends on climate and weather conditions. Higher temperatures, drought and water stress, diseases, and weather extremes create challenges for farmers and ranchers. Farmers, ranchers, and researchers can address some of these challenges by adapting their methods or creating and using new technology. But, some changes will be difficult to manage, like human and livestock health. Farmworkers can suffer from heat-related health issues, like exhaustion, heatstroke, and heart attacks. Heat can also harm livestock.
Fries depend on potatoes, and like all crops, potatoes have a preferred climate. How long will America’s favorite side dish have a safe spot on our menu?
Human health
Climate change is already impacting human health. Changes in weather and climate patterns put lives at risk in many ways:
- Heat is one of the most deadly weather conditions.
- As ocean temperatures rise, hurricanes are getting stronger and wetter, which can cause death during the hurricane itself and in the aftermath.
- Dry conditions lead to more wildfires, which bring many health risks.
- More flooding leads to the spread of waterborne diseases, injuries, death, and chemical hazards.
- As geographic ranges of mosquitoes, ticks, and other pests expand, they carry diseases to new locations.
Vulnerable groups
Some people and groups are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. This can be because of individual traits or as a result of inequities in our society. For example, children, people with certain health conditions, and the elderly are more at-risk. Outdoor workers are more vulnerable because they work in hot and even extreme conditions. Communities with low wealth have less access to healthcare and fewer resources to find new housing if theirs becomes unsafe due to climate change impacts. People of color and communities with low wealth are more vulnerable because they are more likely to live in areas that are less resilient to climate change due to historical and current inequities. But, public health groups can work with local communities to help people understand and build resilience to climate change health impacts.
The environment
Climate change affects all living things, or organisms, and the environment they live in, but not equally. The Arctic is one of the ecosystems most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. It is warming at least twice as fast as the global average. Warming in the Arctic has impacts that are felt across the globe — melting land ice sheets and glaciers contribute dramatically offsite link to sea level rise. Sea levels are also rising due to thermal expansion. Higher sea level puts coastal areas at greater risk of erosion and storm surge.
Effects of climate change can build upon one another to damage ecosystems. Sea level rise can cause sediment to smother corals. But, coral reefs are also vulnerable to many other effects of climate change: warming waters can lead to coral bleaching and stronger hurricanes can destroy reefs. Coral reef ecosystems are home to thousands of species, which rely on healthy coral reefs to survive.
Some organisms are able to adapt to and even benefit from climate change. Some plants have longer growing seasons or are blooming earlier. But, these changes can happen too fast for other plants and animals to keep up. For example, an earlier blooming plant may depend on a pollinator that does not adapt as quickly.
There are also species that have adapted by expanding or shifting their geographic range, meaning they live in new places that used to be too cold or unsuitable in other ways. As a species expands or shifts its range, it may harm other species that already live in the new area. Existing invasive or nuisance species, like lionfish and ticks, may also thrive in even more places because of climate change
Ocean ecosystems face an additional challenge: ocean acidification. The ocean absorbs about 30% of the carbon dioxide we release into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. As a result, the water is becoming more acidic, which affects marine life.
The Museum of Science and Industry recognized that, as future leaders, high school students have a big role in climate change resilience. The museum taught teens skills they can use to act as advocates for building the city’s resilience to climate change.
Infrastructure
Physical infrastructure includes bridges, roads, ports, electrical grids, broadband internet, and other parts of our transportation and communication systems. People often design it to be in use for many years. Because of this, most communities have infrastructure that was designed without climate change in mind.
Existing infrastructure may not be able to withstand extreme weather events that bring heavy rains, floods, wind, snow, or temperature changes. Impacts that result from these events occur in many different ways. For example, increased temperatures require more indoor cooling, which can put stress on an energy grid. Sudden heavy rainfall that exceeds storm water drainage capacity can lead to flooding that shuts down highways, major transportation routes, and businesses.
Coastal infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, water supplies, and much more, is at risk from sea level rise. Nearly 40% of the United States population lives in coastal counties, meaning millions of people will be impacted by related risks. Sea level rise can also lead to coastal erosion and high-tide flooding. Researchers project that some communities could end up at or below sea level by the year 2100. They will face decisions about how to respond. Most likely, communities will both adapt their infrastructure and strategically move away from the shoreline, a process called managed retreat.
Many communities are not prepared to face threats related to climate change. Even within a community, some groups are more vulnerable to these threats than others. Researchers are studying current and future impacts of climate change on communities and can recommend best practices. Going forward, it is important for communities to invest in resilient infrastructure that can withstand future climate risks. Resilience education is important for every role of our society, including city planners, emergency managers, educators, and risk communicators. Everyone can learn how to prepare for climate change through resilience education.
NOAA Sea Grant in North Carolina partnered with state and local groups to evaluate strategies for coping with inland road flooding during tropical storms and hurricanes.
EDUCATION CONNECTION
Teaching about climate change can be a daunting challenge, but it is a critical field for students to learn about, as it affects their lives in many ways. The Essential Principles of Climate Literacy, developed by NOAA and other federal partners, are standards that create a framework for teaching climate. The Toolbox for Teaching Climate & Energy explores a learning process to help students engage in climate action in their own communities or on a global scale. For more educator support, NOAA offers professional development opportunities (including the Planet Stewards Program) about climate and other topics.
Glossary
Definitions for some of the terms used in this resource collection.
Anthropogenic
Human-caused.1
Climate resilience
The ability to prepare and plan for, absorb, recover from, and more successfully adapt to adverse events related to climate change.2
Ecosystem
A system made up of the biological, physical, and chemical components that interact with one another in a given area. 3
Emissions
In the context of climate change, refers to the release of greenhouse gasses by human activities.
Geographic range
The geographic area over which a species lives.
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution began in the mid-1700s and marks the time during which production of goods transitioned from being mostly handmade to produced with the aid of machines in factories.6
Heatstroke
A heat-related illness characterized by a high body temperature, headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion, a fast and strong pulse, and even passing out.7
Infrastructure
The structures, facilities, and utilities that we need to maintain normalcy in daily life. This includes things related to transportation, like roads, bridges, and ports, and things related to utilities like electricity and drinking water.8, 9
Risk communicators
Experts or officials who share information, advice and opinions with people who face a hazard or threat to their wellbeing so that they can make informed decisions and take protective and preventive measures.10 offsite link
Socioeconomic inequalities
Differences in factors such as income, education, or opportunity between communities.
Storm surge
The abnormal rise in seawater level during a storm. It is measured as the height of the water above the normal predicted astronomical tide. The surge is caused primarily by a storm’s winds pushing water onshore.11
Thermal expansion
Water expands as it warms, this is a major causes of global sea level rise.12
Transpire
Water released into the atmosphere from plant surfaces.13
Waterborne disease
Diseases spread through water.