climate change
noun
: significant and long-lasting change in the Earth's climate and weather patterns
The half-tonne … turtles were thought to have died out 30,000 to 40,000 years ago because of climate change.—
New Scientist
New Scientist
especially, in current use
: such change associated with global warming
Concerns about greenhouse gas emissions and global climate change are renewed among scientists and the public with every new report about the possibility of melting icecaps and rising temperatures. —Randy Showstack
Randy Showstack Drought is a paleontological fact in the American West, but the latest desiccations have a new signature, and my region's climatologists, hydrologists, foresters, and water managers are nearly unanimous in their conviction that what we are seeing now is climate change, the anthropogenic kind, a consequence of too much CO2 and other greenhouse gases. —Kenneth Brower
Kenneth Brower Examples of climate change in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On Monday, the Trump administration dismissed the authors of the Sixth National Climate Assessment report -- the U.S. government's preeminent report on the risks, impacts and responses to climate change mandated by Congress and produced every four years.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 29 Apr. 2025
To improve air quality and limit the state’s impact on climate change, Colorado has set an overall goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and by 100% by 2050.
—Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 28 Apr. 2025
There’s also uncertainty about the fate of the Inflation Reduction Act, a historic climate change mitigation law signed by President Joe Biden.
—Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 28 Apr. 2025
Why the cuts hurt forecasting Mass job cuts hit NOAA, agency that oversees hurricane center and weather service
Dinah Voyles Pulver covers climate change, wildlife and the environment for USA TODAY.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
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Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 29 Apr. 2025
To improve air quality and limit the state’s impact on climate change, Colorado has set an overall goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and by 100% by 2050.
—Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 28 Apr. 2025
There’s also uncertainty about the fate of the Inflation Reduction Act, a historic climate change mitigation law signed by President Joe Biden.
—Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 28 Apr. 2025
Why the cuts hurt forecasting Mass job cuts hit NOAA, agency that oversees hurricane center and weather service
Dinah Voyles Pulver covers climate change, wildlife and the environment for USA TODAY.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for climate change
Cite this Entry
“Climate change.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/climate%20change. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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