climate change

American  

[klahy-mit cheynj] / ˈklaɪ mɪt ˌtʃeɪndʒ /

noun

1. a long-term change in the earth's climate, especially a change due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature.

   Melting glaciers imply that life in the Arctic is affected by climate change.

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Usage

What is climate change? Climate change refers to a sweeping change in global climate conditions, including weather phenomena, temperature, and sea levels. It’s caused by an influx of greenhouse gases, mostly from fossil fuel emissions around the world. These gases trap heat in the atmosphere and change weather patterns, warming many areas of the globe and causing erratic season and weather events.How is term pronounced?[ klahy-mit cheynj ]

Etymology

Origin of climate change

First recorded in 1980–85

Compare meaning

How does climate-change compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• global warming vs. climate change

Example Sentences

Young people in a survey say their poor mental health is driven by concerns about affordability, gun violence, climate change and social media use.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

One of the more outlandish proposed solutions to climate change is to install orbiting fleets of mirrored satellites that can deflect sunlight, so cooling the planet.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

Each year, more than 275 million tons of it are converted into carbon dioxide, adding to global warming and creating a feedback loop that can intensify climate change.

From Science Daily • Apr. 4, 2026

Iraq's precious archaeological sites, some dating back thousands of years, had for years faced threats ranging from climate change to successive conflicts.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

The Freedmen were a Muscogee Nation–level issue and climate change was a global one—bigger than the scope of a group of teenagers working together to create short-format video content.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith