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
These voters want the government research related to climate change to continue.
—Joan Michelson, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
So the attribution of anthropogenic climate change was proven beyond reasonable doubt, with 97% acceptance among scientists.
—Oliver Swainston, Space.com, 28 June 2025
Permanent sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic is shrinking rapidly because of climate change, and the exact amount of ice fluctuates dramatically over the course of each year.
—Rebecca Hersher, NPR, 28 June 2025
Meanwhile, a tropical depression made landfall on Thursday, June 26, first on the Chinese island province of Hainan and then later in Guangdong, per Reuters, adding that experts attribute the extreme weather and flooding to climate change.
—David Chiu, People.com, 27 June 2025
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Joan Michelson, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
So the attribution of anthropogenic climate change was proven beyond reasonable doubt, with 97% acceptance among scientists.
—Oliver Swainston, Space.com, 28 June 2025
Permanent sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic is shrinking rapidly because of climate change, and the exact amount of ice fluctuates dramatically over the course of each year.
—Rebecca Hersher, NPR, 28 June 2025
Meanwhile, a tropical depression made landfall on Thursday, June 26, first on the Chinese island province of Hainan and then later in Guangdong, per Reuters, adding that experts attribute the extreme weather and flooding to climate change.
—David Chiu, People.com, 27 June 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 6 Jul. 2025.
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