Climate change is real and it's getting worse. Global temperature averages are creeping upward, seas are warming, rising and becoming more acidic, and extreme weather events such as droughts, wildfires, floods and powerful storms are becoming more common. The threat is so great that humanity must act now to defuse what United Nations scientists call a "climate time bomb" which, if ignored, will yield "untold suffering."
At Live Science, our expert writers and editors cover the impact of global warming, and the measures that scientists, world leaders and innovators are taking to reduce our harmful impact on the planet, with the latest climate change news, features and articles.
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Ancient piece of driftwood hidden for thousands of years could hold secrets for combating climate change
A 3,775-year-old log found in Canada had barely lost any of its carbon content since being buried, indicating "wood vaulting" is a viable means of carbon storage.
32 weird ways to fight climate change that just might work
From "MooLoos" to painting mountains, these silly scientific suggestions could actually help with climate change.
Drinking wastewater, building an island from scratch and creating an urban forest: 3 bold ways cities are already adapting to climate change
Climate change will fundamentally challenge the world's urban centers. Three cities — San Diego, Milan and Jakarta — offer lessons for how to adapt to a warming planet.
Simple trick could lower city temperatures 3.6 F, London study suggests
Painting city roofs white could lower the temperature in London dramatically on the hottest days, new research suggests.
Record-breaking fires engulf South America, bringing black rain, green rivers and toxic air to the continent
The Amazon fires, fueled by severe drought exacerbated by climate change, have created a toxic smoke cloud spanning about 4 million square miles — an area larger than the entire United States.
'Completely unexpected': New type of wood discovered by scientists dubbed 'midwood'
Tulip trees were long renowned for their carbon storage. Their unique wood may be responsible.
Greenhouse gas 80 times more potent than CO2 is rising in the atmosphere — and fast
Human activities now account for two-thirds of all methane venting to the atmosphere, and our efforts to staunch the flow are not yet bearing fruit.
Ancient viral genomes plucked from glaciers reveal how pathogens have adapted to Earth's shifting climate
Over the past 41,000 years, viral communities have varied significantly between cold and warm climatic periods, scientists found.
Large patch of the Atlantic Ocean near the equator has been cooling at record speeds — and scientists can't figure out why
Scientists are trying to decipher what drove the recent dramatic cooling of the tropical Atlantic, but so far few clues have emerged. "We are still scratching our heads as to what's actually happening," the researchers said.
