From rising temperatures to stronger typhoons and devastating wildfires, the effects of climate change are no longer distant threats.

The series of unusually high temperatures continued in 2025, which is projected to rank as the second or third hottest year ever recorded, based on the State of the Global Climate Update by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). 

Greenhouse gas emissions surround the earth, which trap the sun’s heat, causing the earth to warm up and the climate to change.

The continuous warm temperature may affect the weather cycles and ruin the balance of nature.

In Bonaire, a Caribbean municipality in the Netherlands, the rising sea levels and extreme weather are putting the island’s low-lying areas at risk of disappearing.

Climate change also affects the global food systems because grasslands that support herds of various grazing animals have the possibility to shrink 36-50% by the end of the century due to climate change.

In India, they experienced around 118 days each year with temperatures exceeding 30°C, a level at which heat begins to damage coffee plants— about 30 were linked directly to climate change, according to the analysis. 

Researchers determined that using climate change models to estimate how many days would have stayed below 30°C in a world without carbon emissions, but instead crossed that limit because of pollution.

Even though efforts are being made, especially investments in renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, these alone are still not enough.

To protect and sustain the planet, major changes are needed in energy production, industry, transportation, food systems, agriculture, and forestry.

Many solutions to climate change benefit both the environment and economy while improving quality of life, and are guided by global frameworks such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.