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

The material has the potential to combat climate change by capturing and storing carbon or other pollutants, and by extracting water from the atmosphere in water-scarce areas.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 10, 2026

Compounded with human-induced climate change, the last El Nino contributed to making 2023 the second-hottest year on record and 2024 the all-time high.

From Barron's • Jul. 9, 2026

Because climate change is expected to increase this kind of variability in many regions, the pattern could become more common in the future.

From Science Daily • Jul. 9, 2026

Whether that number holds or keeps falling probably depends on whether climate change eventually makes outdoor football in, say, Miami or Phoenix untenable for different reasons than it does in Buffalo.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026

Every event in history occurred against the background of some climate change.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari