Rising temperatures
Instrument records, satellites, ocean buoys, and ice cores all point to a planet storing more heat.
Global warming, explained clearly
Earth's heat signal is getting louder.
Global warming is the long-term rise in Earth's average temperature, driven mainly by heat-trapping pollution from burning coal, oil, and gas.
The evidence
Warming shows up across the whole Earth system.
Changing oceans
Warmer seawater expands, melts land ice, and raises sea levels along vulnerable coastlines.
More extremes
Heat waves become more likely and intense, while heavier downpours and drought stress reshape daily life.
The trend
Small annual changes add up to a large planetary shift.
The curve below is a simplified illustration of the modern warming trend. It is designed to show the shape of the change: slow early movement, then faster warming in recent decades.
Why it happens
Greenhouse gases act like a thicker blanket around the planet.
Sunlight reaches Earth, the surface warms, and some heat radiates back toward space. Carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases absorb part of that outgoing heat and send some of it back downward.
Fossil fuels
Electricity, transport, heating, and industry release carbon dioxide when coal, oil, and gas are burned.
Land use
Deforestation removes carbon-storing trees and often releases stored carbon from soils and biomass.
Agriculture and waste
Methane and nitrous oxide come from livestock, fertilizers, landfills, and some industrial processes.
What changes
Global warming is not only hotter weather.
It affects food, water, health, homes, and ecosystems.
The risks are uneven. Some communities face more dangerous heat, some face flood and fire risk, and many face higher costs for energy, food, insurance, and infrastructure.
- Crop stress and shifting growing seasons
- Sea-level rise and coastal flooding
- Health risks from heat and smoke
- Habitat loss and coral bleaching
What helps
The goal is simple: cut heat-trapping pollution and prepare for impacts.
Clean power
Scale wind, solar, storage, efficient grids, and other low-carbon energy sources.
Efficient buildings
Insulate homes, use heat pumps where practical, and reduce wasted energy.
Better transport
Improve public transit, walking, cycling, electric vehicles, and freight efficiency.
Nature and resilience
Protect forests, restore wetlands, cool cities with trees, and design for floods and heat.