Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos

Climate change: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos and Videos

A polar bear stands on a small piece of ice floating in the water.
Diagram illustrating Earth's environmental spheres, with labeled sections showing the geosphere (land and crust), biosphere (living things), atmosphere (air), and hydrosphere (water), each extending vertically from the Earth's surface.
The greenhouse effect: When Earth's surface and lower atmosphere are warmed by the presence of greenhouse gases.
Three coal power plant smokestacks emit thick white plumes of pollution into the air, illustrating carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel use.
Illustration of various geoengineering techniques to address climate change, including carbon capture and storage methods like artificial trees, industrial scrubbers, and deep ocean CO2 storage, as well as solar reflectance strategies such as sulfur aerosols, reflective crops, cloud whitening, and orbital mirrors. The scene shows these interventions applied to land, sea, and atmosphere, with labeled features explaining each process.
Close-up of a silver electric car plugged into a charging station on a city street in Celebration, Florida, with charging cables connected to the vehicle's port.
How do geothermal power plants work?
University of Arizona Biosphere 2 is an American Earth system science research facility to explore “Earth's future to understand today's environment and prepare for life beyond our planet”
Hands holding a bowl of lentil curry with tofu and vegetables, surrounded by fresh ingredients including pita bread, tomatoes, carrots, green onions, avocados, lemon wedges, and pesto.
Wind turbines transform mechanical energy into electrical energy.
The eruption of the Fuego volcano during nighttime in Guatemala.
What Is a Glacier?
As Climate Change Is Left Unchecked, Weather Becomes More Extreme
How a forest regenerates after a fire
Questions and answers on genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Related Topics and References

Topics