LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR WORK ON CLIMATE
The climate crisis affects every corner of our planet – from the poles to the tropics, and from the mountains to the oceans.
People and nature worldwide are already feeling the effects: from droughts, fires, flooding and heatwaves caused by extreme weather to the destruction of coral reefs due to changes in ocean temperature. And these impacts will only worsen if the global temperature continues to rise.
The good news is that many progressive companies, cities, investors and economic sectors are joining communities to take climate action – and we can still escape the worst impacts of climate change, building a safer future for all.
But we need to do more, and faster.
The evidence for the climate crisis is clear.
Since the industrial revolution, human activities such as burning fossil fuels, cutting down forests and certain types of livestock farming have released carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This has already caused the average global temperature to rise by more than 1°C, with levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere now higher than they have been at any point in human existence.
Although governments have committed to take action in a series of agreements since 1992, the global temperature is still set to rise over the coming decades. And scientists agree that more than 1.5°C of warming will likely have catastrophic impacts.
And all this could happen within a human lifespan, leaving our children and grandchildren to cope with the results.
"We need a rapid and deep change in the way we do business, how we generate power, how we build cities, how we move, and how we feed the world. If we don’t urgently change our way of life, we jeopardize life itself."
António Guterres, UN Secretary General
The future lies in our hands.
The global consensus on the need for climate action is strong and continues to grow. The shift away from fossil fuels has already begun.
We have the technology to provide everyone on Earth with clean, renewable energy. And together, we can create a fossil-free future − and give ourselves the best chance of averting climate catastrophe. We’ll enjoy cleaner air. We’ll protect the vital habitats of plants and animals currently threatened by oil and gas developments. And we’ll have greener, more sustainable cities.
Protecting and restoring forests, and producing and consuming food more sustainably, will also make a major contribution to tackling the climate crisis – while helping reverse the loss of nature at the same time.
We can also prepare for the impacts that will result from climate change – and help people and nature adapt to a warming world.
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We're at the heart of the global movement for a net-zero, climate-resilient future. A future where the greenhouse gas levels in our atmosphere are stabilized and where we take active steps to help people and nature adapt to the impacts of the climate crisis. A huge global effort is required to meet the challenge but we remain positive.
We’re pushing governments to set ambitious policies that favour climate-resilient, net-zero development, energy efficiency, and clean renewable energy for all – and holding them to account.
We’re supporting businesses to cut their carbon emissions on a scale never seen before, and helping to reduce their impact in areas like agriculture, forests and water. We are also working with finance institutions to get money out of fossil fuels and into climate solutions such as renewable energy technology and forest restoration.
We’re helping people and nature, from the Arctic to Antarctica, adapt to the changes caused by climate change that are no longer avoidable.
From local government, universities and civil society organizations to indigenous peoples and faith communities, we’re building alliances for a net-zero future.
With teams in over 80 countries, our experts work together to tackle the global climate crisis. Leading the team – called the WWF Climate & Energy Practice – is Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, who has 30 years’ experience in environmental law and policy, serving as Minister of Environment of Peru (2011 to 2016) and President of the UNFCCC’s COP20.
Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Climate & Energy Practice Leader
By 2030, an equitable and just transition is underway that limits warming to 1.5°C, protects people and nature, and builds a climate-resilient future.
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