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Climate change facts

What do you need to know about climate change?

We’re already seeing the effects of human-caused climate change — but nature can help. Protecting nature today ensures a more sustainable future.

 

SHARE THESE FACTS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE:​

 

419 parts per million

In 2023, the average concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere was 419.3 ppm1 — the highest in human history and more than 50% higher than pre-industrial levels of CO2. Tweet this fact

 

2023 was the hottest year on record

Analysis by NOAA shows that average global temperatures in 2023 were 2.12 degrees F (1.18 degrees C) warmer than the 20th-century average — and higher than any other year since records began in 1850.2 What's more, the 10 warmest years on record have all been in the past decade. Tweet this fact

 

20% of emissions

As much as 20 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans are due to deforestation3 — exceeding the emissions from all of the passenger vehicles on the planet.4 Tweet this fact

 

Nature is an untapped solution

Tropical forests are incredibly effective at storing carbon, providing at least a third of the mitigation action needed5 to prevent the worst climate change scenarios. Yet nature-based solutions receive only 3 percent of all climate funding.6 Tweet this fact

 

Fight climate change, improve livelihoods — naturally

Scaling up natural climate solutions, such as restoring degraded forests, could create as many as 20 million new jobs.7 In total, ecosystem restoration creates 3.7 times as many jobs as oil and gas production per dollar.8 Tweet this fact

A disturbing trend

According to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, the average global temperature for June 2024 was higher than any June on record — and July 22, 2024 was the hottest day the world has seen since 1940, when recording started. Tweet this fact

3.6 billion people

As many as 3.6 billion people live in areas of high vulnerability to climate change impacts11 such as droughts, floods, heat waves, extreme weather events and sea-level rise. Tweet this fact

 

Coastal ecosystems are critical

In a single square mile, mangroves hold as much carbon as the annual emissions of 90,000 cars. If they are destroyed, all that carbon is released into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.12 Tweet this fact

 

It’s cheaper to protect nature

Conserving ecosystems is often more cost-effective than human-made interventions. Mangrove trees, which thrive in salty, coastal areas around the world, provide flood protection benefits exceeding US$ 65 billion per year.13 Tweet this fact

 

Nations are uniting

One hundred ninety-three countries and the European Union have ratified the 2015 Paris Agreement14, agreeing to limit global warming and adapt to climate change, partly by protecting nature. Tweet this fact

 

 

FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE

Join the thousands who have stepped up to protect nature like mangroves, which trap carbon and safeguard coastal communities against sea-level rise and storms.

 

More Of Our Work

YUS Conservation Area
© Trond Larsen

What’s your footprint?
Japanese Cedar(Cryotomeria japonica) of Anzihe Protected Area
© Kyle Obermann

Facts About Forest Conservation
Clouds rise through Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda
© Benjamin Drummond

Facts About Deforestation

 

References

  1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2024, April). No sign of greenhouse gases increases slowing in 2023 U.S. Department of Commerce. https://research.noaa.gov/2024/04/05/no-sign-of-greenhouse-gases-increases-slowing-in-2023/
  2. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2024, January). 2023 was the world’s warmest year on record, by far U.S. Department of Commerce. https://www.noaa.gov/news/2023-was-worlds-warmest-year-on-record-by-far
  3. Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. (2023, February). What is the role of deforestation in climate change and how can 'Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation' (REDD+) help?. The London School of Economics and Political Science. https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/explainers/whats-redd-and-will-it-help-tackle-climate-change/
  4. DeCicco, J., Fung, F., An, F. (2006). Global Warming on the Road: The climate impact of America’s automobiles. Environmental Defense. https://www.edf.org/sites/default/files/5301_Globalwarmingontheroad_0.pdf
  5. Correction to Supporting Information for Griscom et al., Natural climate solutions. (2019). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(7), 2776–2776. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1900868116
  6. Buchner, B., Clark, A., Falconer, A., Macquarie, R., Meattle, C., Wetherbee, C. (2019). Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2019. Climate Policy Initiative. https://climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/global-landscape-of-climate-finance-2019/
  7. United Nations Environment Programme. (2022, December 8). Nature-based Solutions can generate 20 million new jobs, but “just transition” policies needed [Press release]. https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/nature-based-solutions-can-generate-20-million-new-jobs-just

 

  1. Jaeger, J. (2021, October 18). Climate-friendly Investments Can Create More Jobs Per Dollar than Polluting Alternatives. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/green-investments-create-more-jobs-polluting-alternatives #:~:text=Ecosystem%20restoration%20creates%203.7%20times,as%20fossil%20fuels%20per%20dollar
  2. Copernicus Climate Change Service. (2024, July 10). June 2024 marks 12th month of global temperatures at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. https://climate.copernicus.eu/june-2024-marks-12th-month-global-temperatures-15degc-above-pre-industrial-levels
  3. Copernicus Climate Change Service. (2024, July 25). New record daily global average temperature reached in July 2024. https://climate.copernicus.eu/new-record-daily-global-average-temperature-reached-july-2024
  4. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2022). Key Findings of the AR6 Report on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability [Report]. https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2022/06/WGII_AR6_Presentation_SB56.pdf
  5. Conservation International. Protect Our Oceans. https://www.conservation.org/act/protect-our-oceans Accessed: 2023-03-10
  6. Menéndez, P., Losada, I.J., Torres-Ortega, S. et al. The Global Flood Protection Benefits of Mangroves. Sci Rep 10, 4404 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-61136-6
  7. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Paris Agreement - Status of Ratification. https://unfccc.int/process/the-paris-agreement/status-of-ratification. Accessed: 2020-06-09.
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