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A lignite-fired power station in Germany releases clouds against a dark orange sky
Image: Ina Fassbender/AFP

Climate change

Increased levels of carbon dioxide and other human-caused emissions being released into the atmosphere have caused global surface and ocean temperatures to rise at unprecedented speed.

A man in Denver uses a leaf blower to clear a light snow from the sidewalk in front of a home in a winter storm

What is climate? And how is it different from weather?

Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 17, 2024
Skip next section All Content on this topic

All Content on this topic

Three wind turbines against a mountain backdrop in the morning mist

Does Germany need wind power?

Some politicians in Germany want a return to nuclear power, but the wind sector is on track to make significant gains.
Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 22, 2025
A fisher in Prieto Diaz, Philippines, pushes a boat along a river

Philippines: How a coastal community has revived mangroves

The mangrove forest in Prieto Diaz was nearly depleted, but restoration efforts have reversed years of decline.
Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 21, 202502:58 min
Close-up of Lee Zeldin

What Trump's EPA pick, Lee Zeldin, would mean for climate

Trump loyalist Lee Zeldin is expected to undo dozens of regulations as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 20, 2025
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign town hall, a large sign reading "Drill Baby Drill" behind him

What does Trump's second term mean for the climate?

As Donald Trump hustles to assemble a governing team, environmental analysts say the future looks bleak.
Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 20, 2025
Tumbnail Planet A

How climate drives the housing crisis

Much of the world is experience a housing affordability crisis. Climate change has quietly contributed to rising housing
Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 17, 202512:32 min
Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant in the Czech Republic, with an array of solar panels in the foreground

Is a global nuclear energy expansion realistic?

Advocates are pushing for nuclear energy to play a greater role in mitigating climate change. Is that likely?
Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 16, 2025
Spanial Mobius wears a "therapy dog" dog vest and sits in front of psychotherapist Sonnet Daymont (standing, only her feet are visible)

Therapy dog helps LA fire victims cope with trauma, loss

Therapy dog Mobius is helping Los Angeles residents affected by the fires grapple with grief and loss.
CatastropheJanuary 15, 202501:08 min
A man wearing a mask looks at a fire-ravaged property in the the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles

LA fires could be 'costliest' natural disaster in US history

The devastating wildfires which have hit Los Angeles are also wreaking havoc for already struggling home insurers.
BusinessJanuary 14, 2025
Poverty-stricken Pakistani parents send children to work. A boy is seen here working with metal tools.

Pakistan struggles with education emergency

Pakistan has one of the world's highest rates of children out of school — over a third don't attend classes.
EqualityJanuary 12, 202502:00 min
A panoramic view of a grazing cattle herd

Brazilian cattle farmer hit by drought

Brazil reels from one of the worst droughts in its history. What can cattle breeders do to keep their animals alive?
ClimateJanuary 10, 202502:26 min
A house up in flames

How are wildfires connected to climate change?

Wildfires, like those blazing around LA, have become increasingly familiar. Are they always linked to climate change?
Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 10, 2025
A man pours water over his head as he walks over a road

2024 was officially the hottest on record

New data shows 2024 experienced a record temperature increase. But scientists say it's not too late to act.
ClimateJanuary 10, 2025
Firefighters outside a house with a huge blaze raging in the background

Wildfires: How under threat are cities?

As climate change intensifies wildfires, how can urban areas better prepare themselves?
Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 9, 2025
A firefighter monitors the flames while defending a mobile home during the Park Fire in California

How do we fight wildfires as temperatures rise?

As massive wildfires rage in Los Angeles, DW looks at how strategic burning and adaptive planting can protect forests.
Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 9, 2025
Flames rise as the Palisades Fire advances on homes in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles

Firefighters struggle to control Los Angeles wildfires

Out-of-control wildfires in the Los Angeles area have driven thousands of people from their homes.
CatastropheJanuary 9, 202502:00 min
A solar park seen from above

Why Germany needs to keep lowering its carbon footprint

As countries work to reduce their emissions, Germany is now responsible for less than 2%. But even that is too much.
Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 8, 2025
Halligleben in der Klimakrise

Hallig life in northern Germany amid the climate crisis

Flat landscapes, seabirds, cows on salt marshes, and the sea: Oland's charm faces the threat of climate change.
ClimateJanuary 7, 202542:34 min
The calf Hilda in UK, bred through IVF

Could an IVF calf help reduce dairy's global emissions?

The birth a calf bred to produce less methane is being hailed as a breakthrough for greening the dairy industry.
Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 3, 2025
DW "Global Us" Sendungslogo Composite

Living in flooded homes: Climate change in the Philippines

Climate change is destroying islands in the Philippines. A ballet school in Peru brings hope to poor children.
ClimateJanuary 3, 202526:04 min
A blue electric vehicle charging in Norway

Norway powers ahead in switch to electric vehicles

While many countries are struggling with the transformation to electric vehicles, Norway is showing that it can be done.
BusinessJanuary 2, 202502:34 min
DW Eco Africa (Sendungslogo Composite)

When technology and nature work hand in hand | Eco Africa

In Ghana start-ups are finding inventive uses for agricultural waste; Senegal’s ‘agri-influencers’.
Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 2, 202526:04 min
The 77 Percent show 247

The 77 Percent — The Magazine for Africa's Youth

We explore influencer culture and ask: Where’s the line between social responsibility and just making a living?
SocietyJanuary 1, 202526:03 min
Damaged houses caused by Typhoon Man-yi in Viga, Catanduanes province, northeastern Philippines Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024

Disaster-wary Philippines leads push for climate justice

As the site of several climate disasters, the Philippines is hard to ignore when officials advocate for accountability.
ClimateJanuary 1, 2025
A Tesla car at a charging station in Leira, Norway

How Norway has almost phased out combustion engines

From 2025, newly registered cars should be emissions-free. And the Nordic country may reach its goal without a ban.
BusinessDecember 30, 202401:27 min
A house is engulfed in the flames of the Mountain Fire as the wildfire scorches acres in California in November 2024

Climate change: 2024 caps 'decade of deadly heat,' UN says

2024 is set to be the warmest year on record. "We must exit this road to ruin," UN chief Guterres warned.
ClimateDecember 30, 2024
DW Dokumentationen | Echtes Fleisch ohne Tier - Die Zukunft schmeckt anders

Fake steak — the taste of future food

All around the world, entrepreneurs and scientists are looking for a way out of factory farming.
Food SecurityDecember 27, 202442:34 min
People hold a sign "When you change yourself you change the world" as they take part in a protest for climate action

How close are we to positive climate tipping points?

As the planet heats up, positive tipping points could help us transition to greener societies and shape a better future.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 26, 2024
Fokus Europa | Schweden | Elche im Park

How climate change is threatening moose in Sweden

Moose in Sweden are suffering from climate change, causing reduced breeding and smaller calves.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 23, 202404:41 min
France's President Emmanuel Macron (C) speaks with locals as he arrives at the Mayotte Hospital Centre

Macron receives angry welcome in cyclone-battered Mayotte

French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to rebuild Mayotte after a devastating storm.
CatastropheDecember 20, 202402:26 min
Partially destroyed buildings and uprooted trees remain after cyclone Chido hit Mozambique

More climate challenges ahead for Mozambique and Malawi

Chido is one of several cyclones to hit Mozamibique and Malawi in recent years.
ClimateDecember 19, 2024
Vanuatu, Port Vila | Rescue teams work on collapsed building after severe earthquake

Earthquake shakes Vanuatu, causing foreign embassies to collapse

Vanuatu is assessing the damage of a 7.3 magnitude earthquake that shook the Pacific island nation.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 18, 20248 images
Smoke from coal burning stoves

World coal use to hit record high in 2024: IEA report

China remains the largest global coal consumer, responsible for over a third of the world’s coal use.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 18, 2024
Global US | IRA Energy

Will Trump end the Inflation Reduction Act?

Will Donald Trump's plans to drill for more oil and gas mean the end of the IRA climate investment program?
ClimateDecember 17, 202405:25 min
Climate case at The Hague in the Netherlands

Landmark climate hearings conclude at world's top court

After two weeks of powerful testimonies, what impact could a UN court decision have?
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 13, 2024
Abdullahi Mohamud, a camel herder in Kenya, is seen in front of his camels as he speaks to DW

Desertification drives Kenyan herdsmen to camels

Climate change has degraded 75% of the Earth's land, the UN warns. Kenyan herders are already trading cattle for camels.
ClimateDecember 13, 202402:57 min
Italian drought in Sicily impacted farmer

Can the UN COP16 summit help stop Earth's land drying out?

Nations have been gathered in Saudia Arabia to discuss how to tackle desertification, land degradation and drought.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 12, 2024
Could Chennai become a green city by 2050?

India: Chennai's ambitious plan to boost its green cover

Chennai in southern India hopes to combat heat, flooding and pollution by regaining its urban forests.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 12, 202403:12 min
A young person walks through a water fountain

Extreme heat a death threat to young people in Mexico

In Mexico, heat overwhelmingly kills young people, a new study finds. Global warming could make this worse.
ScienceDecember 11, 2024
An oilfield in eastern China

How a Chinese firm ran a billion-euro carbon credit scam

A DW and ZDF investigation uncovered carbon offset projects in China worth roughly €1 billion that are likely fake.
BusinessDecember 11, 2024
Delegates attending the COP16 summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

UN COP16 summit tackles forced migration and insecurity

Desertification, land degradation and drought are worsening forced migration and threatening global stability.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 10, 2024
A photo of a saxual tree surrounded by desert

Bringing life back to Central Asia's desertified Aral Sea

The Aral's ecosystem was devastated during the Soviet era. Now ecologists are planting trees where water once lapped.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 10, 2024
View of a glacier surrounded by mountains

Can we survive if the world's glaciers melt?

If all the world's glaciers melted, what would that mean for nature and for human civilization?
ClimateDecember 9, 202404:30 min
A man walks along a damaged street after the passage of Hurricane Eta in La Lima, Cortes, Honduras

What's been said at the landmark ICJ climate hearings?

Nations are asking the International Court of Justice to oblige big polluters to keep their promises to cut emissions.
ClimateDecember 7, 2024
DW Tomorrow Today Sendungslogo Composite

Tomorrow Today — The Science Show

Seismic mysteries / Disappearing glaciers / Orphan oil wells / E-noses / Autonomous car-bots / What is noise?
ScienceDecember 6, 202426:04 min
Young activist Ketsia talks to rapper Shiii about climate change.

Congolese activist shifts climate views with collective acts

In Kinshasa, a young activist is working to change attitudes to waste and the climate crisis.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 6, 202404:45 min
A rounded shaped green zone lies in the middle of a vast desert

Why fertile land is turning to desert

Four football fields of land degrade into desert every second. Can this expanding wasteland be greened and restored?
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 6, 2024
Fokus Europa Türkei Femizide

Focus on Europe — Spotlight on People

Femicide and violence against women are on the rise in Turkey.
ConflictsDecember 5, 202426:04 min
A view of the ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Refinery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Inside the oil industy's massive lobbying efforts

Big Oil — including Shell, Exxon and Chevron— are part of multiple lobby groups to keep their business profitable.
BusinessDecember 3, 202414:07 min
Woman from Tuvalu stands in the ocean with her hands over her eyes

World's top court starts landmark climate hearings

In the largest case in its history, the UN's highest court will hear almost 100 countries deliver testimonies on climate
Rule of LawDecember 2, 2024
Presiding Judge Nawaf Salam, gestures as the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, opens hearings into what countries worldwide are legally required to do to combat climate change and help vulnerable nations fight its devastating impact

Landmark climate case to open at top UN court

The UN's top court begins hearings on governments' climate duties, with campaigners stressing its link to human rights.
ClimateDecember 2, 202402:18 min