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
The question looms over the administration’s enthusiastic embrace of coal, a leading contributor to climate change.
—Jordan Blum, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2025
The number of people using the FAIR plan for fire insurance has increased dramatically in recent years as companies have pulled back business in the state due to losses caused by major wildfires arising from risks due to climate change and other factors.
—Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Experts believe China’s role in tackling climate change is decisive.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2025
Even still, the experts who work at the intersection of climate change and finance say that both companies and markets fail to grasp the extent of these risks.
—Justin Worland, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for climate change
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Jordan Blum, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2025
The number of people using the FAIR plan for fire insurance has increased dramatically in recent years as companies have pulled back business in the state due to losses caused by major wildfires arising from risks due to climate change and other factors.
—Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Experts believe China’s role in tackling climate change is decisive.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2025
Even still, the experts who work at the intersection of climate change and finance say that both companies and markets fail to grasp the extent of these risks.
—Justin Worland, Time, 3 Oct. 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 Oct. 2025.
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