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.

---

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

Species around the world are vanishing at an accelerating pace, driven by climate change, habitat destruction, and invasive species.

From Science Daily

Artificial intelligence promises to remake economies, supercharge productivity, cure cancer, discover new drugs, and solve climate change.

From Barron's

But climate change and intensive farming have reduced the variety of flowers bees depend on.

From Science Daily

Lowe primarily attributes this behavior shift to warming waters from climate change.

From Los Angeles Times

However, the amount of reformation each winter is in decline, as rising temperatures due to climate change disproportionately affect the Arctic.

From Barron's