climate change

noun

: significant and long-lasting change in the Earth's climate and weather patterns

The half-tonne … turtles were thought to have died out 30,000 to 40,000 years ago because of climate change.

—New Scientist

especially, in current use : such change associated with global warming

Concerns about greenhouse gas emissions and global climate change are renewed among scientists and the public with every new report about the possibility of melting icecaps and rising temperatures.

—Randy Showstack

Drought is a paleontological fact in the American West, but the latest desiccations have a new signature, and my region's climatologists, hydrologists, foresters, and water managers are nearly unanimous in their conviction that what we are seeing now is climate change, the anthropogenic kind, a consequence of too much CO2 and other greenhouse gases.

—Kenneth Brower

Examples of climate change in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In California, though the Santa Ana winds and dryness are sometimes par for the course, climate change is leading to fire season starting earlier and ending later, according to CalFire. —Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025

And while climate change is increasing their frequency and severity, Pyne argues that a society dependent on fossil fuels plays a significant role as well. —Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025

May said climate change has contributed to periods of heavy rain — which causes plant life to grow — followed by extended periods of drought — which dries those plants out, turning them into perfect fire fuel, leading Southern California to its current tinderbox state. —Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 10 Jan. 2025

With climate change altering rainfall patterns and making droughts both more likely and more intense, destructive wildfires like the ones in the Los Angeles area will continue to threaten people’s lives and livelihoods, Moritz said. —Janhvi Bhojwani, NBC News, 10 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

climate change

noun

: significant and long-lasting change in the earth's climate and weather patterns

especially : such change associated with global warming