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Lesson of the Day

Explore 7 Climate Change Solutions

In this lesson, students will use a jigsaw activity to learn about some of the most effective strategies and technologies that can help head off the worst effects of global warming.

By Natalie Proulx

Lesson Overview

Earlier this summer, a report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , a body of scientists convened by the United Nations, found that some devastating impacts of global warming were unavoidable. But there is still a short window to stop things from getting even worse.

This report will be central at COP26 , the international climate summit where about 20,000 heads of state, diplomats and activists are meeting in person this week to set new targets for cutting emissions from coal, oil and gas that are heating the planet.

In this lesson, you will learn about seven ways we can slow down climate change and head off some of its most catastrophic consequences while we still have time. Using a jigsaw activity , you’ll become an expert in one of these strategies or technologies and share what you learn with your classmates. Then, you will develop your own climate plan and consider ways you can make a difference based on your new knowledge.

What do you know about the ways the world can slow climate change? Start by making a list of strategies, technologies or policies that could help solve the climate crisis.

Which of your ideas do you think could have the biggest impact on climate change? Circle what you think might be the top three.

Now, test your knowledge by taking this 2017 interactive quiz:

How Much Do You Know About Solving Global Warming?

A new book presents 100 potential solutions. Can you figure out which ones are top ranked?

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What are the solutions to climate change?

Climate change is already an urgent threat to millions of lives – but there are solutions. From changing how we get our energy to limiting deforestation, here are some of the key solutions to climate change.

Climate change is happening now, and it’s the most serious threat to life on our planet. Luckily, there are plenty of solutions to climate change and they are well-understood.

In 2015, world leaders signed a major treaty called the Paris agreement  to put these solutions into practice.

Core to all climate change solutions is reducing greenhouse gas emissions , which must get to zero as soon as possible.

Because both forests and oceans play vitally important roles in regulating our climate, increasing the natural ability of forests and oceans to absorb carbon dioxide can also help stop global warming.

The main ways to stop climate change are to pressure government and business to:

• Keep fossil fuels in the ground . Fossil fuels include coal, oil and gas – and the more that are extracted and burned, the worse climate change will get. All countries need to move their economies away from fossil fuels as soon as possible.
• Invest in renewable energy . Changing our main energy sources to clean and renewable energy is the best way to stop using fossil fuels. These include technologies like solar, wind, wave, tidal and geothermal power.
• Switch to sustainable transport . Petrol and diesel vehicles, planes and ships use fossil fuels. Reducing car use, switching to electric vehicles and minimising plane travel will not only help stop climate change, it will reduce air pollution too.
• Help us keep our homes cosy . Homes shouldn’t be draughty and cold – it’s a waste of money, and miserable in the winter. The government can help households heat our homes in a green way – such as by insulating walls and roofs and switching away from oil or gas boilers to heat pumps .
• Improve farming and encourage vegan diets . One of the best ways for individuals to help stop climate change is by reducing their meat and dairy consumption, or by going fully vegan. Businesses and food retailers can improve farming practices and provide more plant-based products to help people make the shift.
• Restore nature to absorb more carbon . The natural world is very good at cleaning up our emissions, but we need to look after it. Planting trees in the right places or giving land back to nature through ‘rewilding’ schemes is a good place to start. This is because photosynthesising plants draw down carbon dioxide as they grow, locking it away in soils.
• Protect forests like the Amazon . Forests are crucial in the fight against climate change, and protecting them is an important climate solution. Cutting down forests on an industrial scale destroys giant trees which could be sucking up huge amounts of carbon. Yet companies destroy forests to make way for animal farming, soya or palm oil plantations. Governments can stop them by making better laws.
• Protect the oceans . Oceans also absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which helps to keep our climate stable. But many are overfished , used for oil and gas drilling or threatened by deep sea mining. Protecting oceans and the life in them is ultimately a way to protect ourselves from climate change.
• Reduce how much people consume . Our transport, fashion, food and other lifestyle choices all have different impacts on the climate. This is often by design – fashion and technology companies, for example, will release far more products than are realistically needed. But while reducing consumption of these products might be hard, it’s most certainly worth it. Reducing overall consumption in more wealthy countries can help put less strain on the planet.
• Reduce plastic . Plastic is made from oil, and the process of extracting, refining and turning oil into plastic (or even polyester, for clothing) is surprisingly carbon-intense . It doesn’t break down quickly in nature so a lot of plastic is burned, which contributes to emissions. Demand for plastic is rising so quickly that creating and disposing of plastics will account for 17% of the global carbon budget by 2050 (this is the emissions count we need to stay within according to the Paris agreement ).

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, and to feel that climate change is too big to solve. But we already have the answers, now it’s a question of making them happen. To work, all of these solutions need strong international cooperation between governments and businesses, including the most polluting sectors.

Individuals can also play a part by making better choices about where they get their energy, how they travel, and what food they eat. But the best way for anyone to help stop climate change is to take collective action. This means pressuring governments and corporations to change their policies and business practices.

Governments want to be re-elected. And businesses can’t survive without customers. Demanding action from them is a powerful way to make change happen.

Will you help drive change with a regular gift today?

Imagine a future powered by renewable energy, where forests, oceans and people thrive. Now is the time for change. Your support can make a huge difference. Become a Greenpeace member

The fossil fuel industry is blocking climate change action

Major oil and gas companies including BP, Exxon and Shell have spent hundreds of millions of pounds trying to delay or stop government policies that would have helped tackle the climate crisis.

Despite the effects of climate change becoming more and more obvious, big polluting corporations – the ones responsible for the majority of carbon emissions – continue to carry on drilling for and burning fossil fuels.

Industries including banks, car and energy companies also make profits from fossil fuels. These industries are knowingly putting money over the future of our planet and the safety of its people.

What are world leaders doing to stop climate change?

With such a huge crisis facing the entire planet, the international response should be swift and decisive. Yet progress by world governments has been achingly slow. Many commitments to reduce carbon emissions have been set, but few are binding and targets are often missed.

In Paris in 2015, world leaders from 197 countries pledged to put people first and reduce their countries’ greenhouse gas emissions. The Paris agreement has the aim of limiting global warming to well below 2ºC and ideally to 1.5°C.

If governments act swiftly on the promises they made in the Paris climate agreement, and implement the solutions now, there’s still hope of avoiding the worst consequences of climate change .

World leaders and climate negotiators meet at annual COPs – which stands for Conference of the Parties (the countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC).

At COPs and other climate talks, nations take stock of their ability to meet their commitments to reduce emissions.

Recently, talks have focused on climate finance – money to help poorer countries adapt to climate change and reduce emissions. Rich countries have pledged $100 billion in annual funding to help developing countries reduce emissions and manage the impacts of climate change. This is yet to materialise, and much more money is needed.

As the impacts of climate change are increasing, important talks have also started on “loss and damage” funding. This is money needed by worst-impacted countries to deal with extreme weather and other climate change impacts.

Global climate change activism

Around the world, millions of us are taking steps to defend our climate. People of all ages and from all walks of life are desperately demanding solutions to the climate emergency.

Over the years, Greenpeace has challenged oil companies chasing new fossil fuels to extract and burn. We’ve also called out the governments for their failure to act fast enough on the climate emergency. Greenpeace activists are ordinary people taking extraordinary action, to push the solutions to climate change.

Indigenous Peoples are most severely affected by both the causes and effects of climate change . They are often on the front lines, facing down deforestation or kicking out fossil fuel industries polluting their water supplies.

Communities in the Pacific Islands are facing sea level rises and more extreme weather. But they are using their strength and resilience to demand world leaders take quicker climate action.

For many of these communities, the fight against climate change is a fight for life itself.

Even in the UK, climate change is impacting people more severely. As a country with the wealth and power to really tackle climate change, it’s never been more important to demand action.

Keep exploring

What can I do to stop climate change?

Individuals can make changes to their lives to reduce their personal carbon footprint. But it’s more important to persuade decision-makers in governments and businesses to drive emissions reductions on a much larger scale. This is the best way to stop climate change getting worse.

What is the UK doing about climate change?

All countries need to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. So how’s the UK doing?

Renewable energy: a beginner's guide

Clean renewable energy is a vital tool for tackling climate change. Discover how it works and understand the advantages of wind, solar and water power.

Environmental justice, explained

The environmental crisis doesn't affect everyone equally. Often the worst impacts fall on those who are already most exploited by people in power. The fight for environmental justice is about addressing this unfairness, and making sure green solutions don't add to the problem.

November 26, 2007

10 Solutions for Climate Change

Ten possibilities for staving off catastrophic climate change

By David Biello

Mark Garlick Getty Images

The enormity of global warming can be daunting and dispiriting. What can one person, or even one nation, do on their own to slow and reverse climate change ? But just as ecologist Stephen Pacala and physicist Robert Socolow, both at Princeton University, came up with 15 so-called " wedges " for nations to utilize toward this goal—each of which is challenging but feasible and, in some combination, could reduce greenhouse gas emissions to safer levels —there are personal lifestyle changes that you can make too that, in some combination, can help reduce your carbon impact. Not all are right for everybody. Some you may already be doing or absolutely abhor. But implementing just a few of them could make a difference.

Forego Fossil Fuels —The first challenge is eliminating the burning of coal , oil and, eventually, natural gas. This is perhaps the most daunting challenge as denizens of richer nations literally eat, wear, work, play and even sleep on the products made from such fossilized sunshine. And citizens of developing nations want and arguably deserve the same comforts, which are largely thanks to the energy stored in such fuels.

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Oil is the lubricant of the global economy, hidden inside such ubiquitous items as plastic and corn, and fundamental to the transportation of both consumers and goods. Coal is the substrate, supplying roughly half of the electricity used in the U.S. and nearly that much worldwide—a percentage that is likely to grow, according to the International Energy Agency. There are no perfect solutions for reducing dependence on fossil fuels (for example, carbon neutral biofuels can drive up the price of food and lead to forest destruction, and while nuclear power does not emit greenhouse gases, it does produce radioactive waste), but every bit counts.

So try to employ alternatives when possible—plant-derived plastics, biodiesel, wind power—and to invest in the change, be it by divesting from oil stocks or investing in companies practicing carbon capture and storage.

Infrastructure Upgrade —Buildings worldwide contribute around one third of all greenhouse gas emissions (43 percent in the U.S. alone), even though investing in thicker insulation and other cost-effective, temperature-regulating steps can save money in the long run. Electric grids are at capacity or overloaded, but power demands continue to rise. And bad roads can lower the fuel economy of even the most efficient vehicle. Investing in new infrastructure, or radically upgrading existing highways and transmission lines, would help cut greenhouse gas emissions and drive economic growth in developing countries.

Of course, it takes a lot of cement, a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, to construct new buildings and roads. The U.S. alone contributed 50.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere in 2005 from cement production, which requires heating limestone and other ingredients to 1,450 degrees Celsius (2,642 degrees Fahrenheit). Mining copper and other elements needed for electrical wiring and transmission also causes globe-warming pollution.

But energy-efficient buildings and improved cement-making processes (such as using alternative fuels to fire up the kiln) could reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the developed world and prevent them in the developing world.

Move Closer to Work —Transportation is the second leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. (burning a single gallon of gasoline produces 20 pounds of CO 2 ). But it doesn't have to be that way.

One way to dramatically curtail transportation fuel needs is to move closer to work, use mass transit, or switch to walking, cycling or some other mode of transport that does not require anything other than human energy. There is also the option of working from home and telecommuting several days a week.

Cutting down on long-distance travel would also help, most notably airplane flights, which are one of the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions and a source that arguably releases such emissions in the worst possible spot (higher in the atmosphere). Flights are also one of the few sources of globe-warming pollution for which there isn't already a viable alternative: jets rely on kerosene, because it packs the most energy per pound, allowing them to travel far and fast, yet it takes roughly 10 gallons of oil to make one gallon of JetA fuel. Restricting flying to only critical, long-distance trips—in many parts of the world, trains can replace planes for short- to medium-distance trips—would help curb airplane emissions.

Consume Less —The easiest way to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions is simply to buy less stuff. Whether by forgoing an automobile or employing a reusable grocery sack, cutting back on consumption results in fewer fossil fuels being burned to extract, produce and ship products around the globe.

Think green when making purchases. For instance, if you are in the market for a new car, buy one that will last the longest and have the least impact on the environment. Thus, a used vehicle with a hybrid engine offers superior fuel efficiency over the long haul while saving the environmental impact of new car manufacture.

Paradoxically, when purchasing essentials, such as groceries, buying in bulk can reduce the amount of packaging—plastic wrapping, cardboard boxes and other unnecessary materials. Sometimes buying more means consuming less.

Be Efficient —A potentially simpler and even bigger impact can be made by doing more with less. Citizens of many developed countries are profligate wasters of energy, whether by speeding in a gas-guzzling sport-utility vehicle or leaving the lights on when not in a room.

Good driving—and good car maintenance, such as making sure tires are properly inflated—can limit the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from a vehicle and, perhaps more importantly, lower the frequency of payment at the pump.

Similarly, employing more efficient refrigerators, air conditioners and other appliances, such as those rated highly under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program, can cut electric bills while something as simple as weatherproofing the windows of a home can reduce heating and cooling bills. Such efforts can also be usefully employed at work, whether that means installing more efficient turbines at the power plant or turning the lights off when you leave the office .

Eat Smart, Go Vegetarian? —Corn grown in the U.S. requires barrels of oil for the fertilizer to grow it and the diesel fuel to harvest and transport it. Some grocery stores stock organic produce that do not require such fertilizers, but it is often shipped from halfway across the globe. And meat, whether beef, chicken or pork, requires pounds of feed to produce a pound of protein.

Choosing food items that balance nutrition, taste and ecological impact is no easy task. Foodstuffs often bear some nutritional information, but there is little to reveal how far a head of lettuce, for example, has traveled.

University of Chicago researchers estimate that each meat-eating American produces 1.5 tons more greenhouse gases through their food choice than do their vegetarian peers. It would also take far less land to grow the crops necessary to feed humans than livestock, allowing more room for planting trees.

Stop Cutting Down Trees —Every year, 33 million acres of forests are cut down . Timber harvesting in the tropics alone contributes 1.5 billion metric tons of carbon to the atmosphere. That represents 20 percent of human-made greenhouse gas emissions and a source that could be avoided relatively easily.

Improved agricultural practices along with paper recycling and forest management—balancing the amount of wood taken out with the amount of new trees growing—could quickly eliminate this significant chunk of emissions.

And when purchasing wood products, such as furniture or flooring, buy used goods or, failing that, wood certified to have been sustainably harvested. The Amazon and other forests are not just the lungs of the earth, they may also be humanity's best short-term hope for limiting climate change.

Unplug —Believe it or not, U.S. citizens spend more money on electricity to power devices when off than when on. Televisions, stereo equipment, computers, battery chargers and a host of other gadgets and appliances consume more energy when seemingly switched off, so unplug them instead.

Purchasing energy-efficient gadgets can also save both energy and money—and thus prevent more greenhouse gas emissions. To take but one example, efficient battery chargers could save more than one billion kilowatt-hours of electricity—$100 million at today's electricity prices—and thus prevent the release of more than one million metric tons of greenhouse gases.

Swapping old incandescent lightbulbs for more efficient replacements, such as compact fluorescents (warning: these lightbulbs contain mercury and must be properly disposed of at the end of their long life), would save billions of kilowatt-hours. In fact, according to the EPA, replacing just one incandescent lightbulb in every American home would save enough energy to provide electricity to three million American homes.

One Child —There are at least 6.6 billion people living today, a number that is predicted by the United Nations to grow to at least nine billion by mid-century. The U.N. Environmental Program estimates that it requires 54 acres to sustain an average human being today—food, clothing and other resources extracted from the planet. Continuing such population growth seems unsustainable.

Falling birth rates in some developed and developing countries (a significant portion of which are due to government-imposed limits on the number of children a couple can have) have begun to reduce or reverse the population explosion. It remains unclear how many people the planet can comfortably sustain, but it is clear that per capita energy consumption must go down if climate change is to be controlled.

Ultimately, a one child per couple rule is not sustainable either and there is no perfect number for human population. But it is clear that more humans means more greenhouse gas emissions.

Future Fuels —Replacing fossil fuels may prove the great challenge of the 21st century. Many contenders exist, ranging from ethanol derived from crops to hydrogen electrolyzed out of water, but all of them have some drawbacks, too, and none are immediately available at the scale needed.

Biofuels can have a host of negative impacts, from driving up food prices to sucking up more energy than they produce. Hydrogen must be created, requiring either reforming natural gas or electricity to crack water molecules. Biodiesel hybrid electric vehicles (that can plug into the grid overnight) may offer the best transportation solution in the short term, given the energy density of diesel and the carbon neutral ramifications of fuel from plants as well as the emissions of electric engines. A recent study found that the present amount of electricity generation in the U.S. could provide enough energy for the country's entire fleet of automobiles to switch to plug-in hybrids , reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the process.

But plug-in hybrids would still rely on electricity, now predominantly generated by burning dirty coal. Massive investment in low-emission energy generation, whether solar-thermal power or nuclear fission , would be required to radically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And even more speculative energy sources—hyperefficient photovoltaic cells, solar energy stations in orbit or even fusion—may ultimately be required.

The solutions above offer the outline of a plan to personally avoid contributing to global warming. But should such individual and national efforts fail, there is another, potentially desperate solution:

Experiment Earth —Climate change represents humanity's first planetwide experiment. But, if all else fails, it may not be the last. So-called geoengineering , radical interventions to either block sunlight or reduce greenhouse gases, is a potential last resort for addressing the challenge of climate change.

Among the ideas: releasing sulfate particles in the air to mimic the cooling effects of a massive volcanic eruption; placing millions of small mirrors or lenses in space to deflect sunlight; covering portions of the planet with reflective films to bounce sunlight back into space; fertilizing the oceans with iron or other nutrients to enable plankton to absorb more carbon; and increasing cloud cover or the reflectivity of clouds that already form.

All may have unintended consequences, making the solution worse than the original problem. But it is clear that at least some form of geoengineering will likely be required: capturing carbon dioxide before it is released and storing it in some fashion, either deep beneath the earth, at the bottom of the ocean or in carbonate minerals. Such carbon capture and storage is critical to any serious effort to combat climate change.

Additional reporting by Larry Greenemeier and Nikhil Swaminathan .

A sunset lights a glacier in New Zealand's Fiordland National Park. Around the world, many glaciers are melting quickly as the planet warms.

• ENVIRONMENT

Are there real ways to fight climate change? Yes.

Humans have the solutions to fight a global environmental crisis. Do we have the will?

The evidence that humans are causing climate change, with drastic consequences for life on the planet, is overwhelming .

Experts began raising the alarm about global warming in 1979 , a change now referred to under the broader term climate change , preferred by scientists to describe the complex shifts now affecting our planet’s weather and climate systems. Climate change encompasses not only rising average temperatures but also extreme weather events, shifting wildlife populations and habitats, rising seas , and a range of other impacts.  

Over 200 countries—193 countries plus the 27 members of the European Union—have signed the Paris Climate Agreement , a treaty created in 2015 to fight climate change on a global scale. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which synthesizes the scientific consensus on the issue, has set a goal of keeping warming under 2°C (3.6°F) and pursuing an even lower warming cap of 1.5 °C (2.7° F).

But no country has created policies that will keep the world below 1.5 °C, according to the Climate Action Tracker . Current emissions have the world on track to warm 2.8°C by the end of this century.  

Addressing climate change will require many solutions —there's no magic bullet. Yet nearly all of these solutions exist today. They range from worldwide changes to where we source our electricity to protecting forests from deforestation.  

The promise of new technology

Better technology will help reduce emissions from activities like manufacturing and driving.  

Scientists are working on ways to sustainably produce hydrogen, most of which is currently derived from natural gas, to feed zero-emission fuel cells for transportation and electricity.  

Renewable energy is growing, and in the U.S., a combination of wind, solar, geothermal, and other renewable sources provide 20 percen t of the nation’s electricity.  

New technological developments promise to build better batteries to store that renewable energy, engineer a smarter electric grid, and capture carbon dioxide from power plants and store it underground or turn it into valuable products such as gasoline . Some argue that nuclear power—despite concerns over safety, water use, and toxic waste—should also be part of the solution, because nuclear plants don't contribute any direct air pollution while operating.

Should we turn to geoengineering?

While halting new greenhouse gas emissions is critical, scientists say we need to extract existing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, effectively sucking it out of the sky.  

Pulling carbon out of the atmosphere is a type of geoengineering , a science that interferes with the Earth’s natural systems, and it’s a controversial approach to fighting climate change.

Other types of geoengineering involve spraying sunlight-reflecting aerosols into the air or blocking the sun with a giant space mirror. Studies suggest we don’t know enough about the potential dangers of geoengineering to deploy it.

Restoring nature to protect the planet  

Planting trees, restoring seagrasses, and boosting the use of agricultural cover crops could help clean up significant amounts of carbon dioxide .  

The Amazon rainforest is an important reservoir of the Earth’s carbon, but a study published in 2021, showed deforestation was transforming this reservoir into a source of pollution.  

Restoring and protecting nature may provide as much as   37 percent of the climate mitigation needed to reach the Paris Agreement’s 203o targets. Protecting these ecosystems can also benefit biodiversity, providing a win-win for nature .

Adapt—or else

Communities around the world are already recognizing that adaptation must also be part of the response to climate change . From flood-prone coastal towns to regions facing increased droughts and fires, a new wave of initiatives focuses on boosting resilience . Those include managing or preventing land erosion, building microgrids and other energy systems built to withstand disruptions, and designing buildings with rising sea levels in mind.

Last year, the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law and was a historic investment in fighting and adapting to climate change.

( Read more about how the bill will dramatically reduce emissions. )

Recent books such as Drawdown and Designing Climate Solutions have proposed bold yet simple plans for reversing our current course. The ideas vary, but the message is consistent: We already have many of the tools needed to address climate change. Some of the concepts are broad ones that governments and businesses must implement, but many other ideas involve changes that anyone can make— eating less   meat , for example, or rethinking your modes of transport .

"We have the technology today to rapidly move to a clean energy system," write the authors of Designing Climate Solutions . "And the price of that future, without counting environmental benefits, is about the same as that of a carbon-intensive future."

Sarah Gibbens contributed reporting to this article.

Related Topics

• CLIMATE CHANGE
• ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION
• AIR POLLUTION
• RENEWABLE ENERGY

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1. Spread the word

Encourage your friends, family and co-workers to reduce their carbon pollution. Join a global movement like  Count Us In, which aims to inspire 1 billion people to take practical steps and challenge their leaders to act more boldly on climate. Organizers of the platform say that if 1 billion people took action, they could reduce as much as 20 per cent of global carbon emissions. Or you could sign up to the UN’s  #ActNow campaign on climate change and sustainability and add your voice to this critical global debate.

2. Keep up the political pressure

Lobby local politicians and businesses to support efforts to cut emissions and reduce carbon pollution.  #ActNow Speak Up  has sections on political pressure and corporate action - and Count Us In also has  some handy tips  for how to do this. Pick an environmental issue you care about, decide on a specific request for change and then try to arrange a meeting with your local representative. It might seem intimidating but your voice deserves to be heard. If humanity is to succeed in tackling the climate emergency, politicians must be part of the solution. It’s up to all of us to keep up with the pressure. 

3. Transform your transport

Transport accounts for around a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions and across the world, many governments are implementing policies to decarbonize travel. You can get a head start: leave your car at home and walk or cycle whenever possible. If the distances are too great, choose public transport, preferably electric options. If you must drive, offer to carpool with others so that fewer cars are on the road. Get ahead of the curve and buy an electric car. Reduce the number of long-haul flights you take. 

4. Rein in your power use

If you can, switch to a zero-carbon or renewable energy provider. Install solar panels on your roof. Be more efficient: turn your heating down a degree or two, if possible. Switch off appliances and lights when you are not using them and better yet buy the most efficient products in the first place (hint: this will save you money!). Insulate your loft or roof: you’ll be warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer and save some money too. 

5. Tweak your diet

Eat more plant-based meals – your body and the planet will thank you. Today, around 60 per cent of the world’s agricultural land is used for livestock grazing and people in many countries are consuming more animal-sourced food than is healthy. Plant-rich diets can help reduce chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer.

The climate emergency demands action from all of us. We need to get to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and everyone has a role to play.

6. Shop local and buy sustainable

To reduce your food’s carbon footprint, buy local and seasonal foods. You’ll be helping small businesses and farms in your area and reducing fossil fuel emissions associated with transport and cold chain storage. Sustainable agriculture uses up to 56 per cent less energy, creates 64 per cent fewer emissions and allows for greater levels of biodiversity than conventional farming. Go one step further and try growing your own fruit, vegetables and herbs. You can plant them in a garden, on a balcony or even on a window sill. Set up a community garden in your neighbourhood to get others involved. 

7. Don’t waste food

One-third of all food produced is either lost or wasted. According to UNEP’s  Food Waste Index Report 2021 , people globally waste 1 billion tonnes of food each year, which accounts for around 8-10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Avoid waste by only buying what you need. Take advantage of every edible part of the foods you purchase. Measure portion sizes of rice and other staples before cooking them, store food correctly (use your freezer if you have one), be creative with leftovers, share extras with your friends and neighbours and contribute to a local food-sharing scheme. Make compost out of inedible remnants and use it to fertilize your garden. Composting is one of the best options for managing organic waste while also reducing environmental impacts.

8. Dress (climate) smart

The fashion industry accounts for 8-10 per cent of global carbon emissions – more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined – and ‘fast fashion’ has created a throwaway culture that sees clothes quickly end up in landfills. But we can change this. Buy fewer new clothes and wear them longer. Seek out sustainable labels and use rental services for special occasions rather than buying new items that will only be worn once. Recycle pre-loved clothes and repair when necessary.

9. Plant trees  

Every year approximately 12 million hectares of forest are destroyed and this deforestation, together with agriculture and other land use changes, is responsible for roughly 25 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. We can all play a part in reversing this trend by planting trees, either individually or as part of a collective. For example, the Plant-for-the-Planet initiative allows people to sponsor tree-planting around the world.

Check out this UNEP guide to see what else you can do as part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration , a global drive to halt the degradation of land and oceans, protect biodiversity, and rebuild ecosystems. 

10. Focus on planet-friendly investments

Individuals can also spur change through their savings and investments by choosing financial institutions that do not invest in carbon-polluting industries. #ActNow Speak Up  has a section on money and so does  Count Us In . This sends a clear signal to the market and already many financial institutions are offering more ethical investments, allowing you to use your money to support causes you believe in and avoid those you don’t. You can ask your financial institution about their responsible banking policies and find out how they rank in independent research. 

UNEP is at the front in support of the Paris Agreement goal of keeping the global temperature rise well below 2°C, and aiming - to be safe - for 1.5°C, compared to pre-industrial levels. To do this, UNEP has developed a Six-Sector Solution . The Six Sector Solution is a roadmap to reducing emissions across sectors in line with the Paris Agreement commitments and in pursuit of climate stability. The six sectors identified are Energy; Industry; Agriculture & Food; Forests & Land Use; Transport; and Buildings & Cities.

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• 7 climate action highlights to remember before COP26
• Climate Action Note - data you need to know
• Emissions Gap Report 2021
• Food Waste Index 2021
• Act Now: the UN campaign for individual action
• Count Us In
• Food Loss and Waste Website

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How Do We Reduce Greenhouse Gases?

To stop climate change , we need to stop the amount of greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, from increasing. For the past 150 years, burning fossil fuels and cutting down forests, which naturally pull carbon dioxide out of the air, has caused greenhouse gas levels to increase. There are two main ways to stop the amount of greenhouse gases from increasing: we can stop adding them to the air, and we can increase the Earth’s ability to pull them out of the air.

This is called climate mitigation . There is not one single way to mitigate climate change. Instead, we will have to piece together many different solutions to stop the climate from warming. Below are descriptions of the main methods that we can use.

Many of these solutions are already being implemented in places around the world. Some can be tackled by individuals, such as using less energy, riding a bike instead of driving, driving an electric car, and switching to renewable energy. Other actions to mitigate climate change involve communities, regions, or nations working together to make changes, such as switching power plants from burning coal or gas to renewable energy and growing public transit.

Use less electricity.

Taking steps to use less electricity, especially when it comes from burning coal or gas, can take a big bite out of greenhouse gas emissions. Worldwide, electricity use is responsible for a quarter of all emissions. 

Some steps that you can take to use less electricity are simple and save money, like replacing incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs that use less electricity, adding insulation to your home, and setting the thermostat lower in the winter and higher in the summer, especially when no one is home. There are also new technologies that help keep buildings energy efficient, such as glass that reflects heat, low-flow water fixtures, smart thermostats, and new air conditioning technology with refrigerants that don’t cause warming. In urban and suburban environments, green or cool roofs can limit the amount of heat that gets into buildings during hot days and help decrease the urban heat island effect .

Green roof on the Walter Reed Community Center in Arlington, VA, US Credit: Arlington County on Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0

Generate electricity without emissions.

Renewable energy sources include solar energy, geothermal energy, wind turbines, ocean wave and tidal energy, waste and biomass energy, and hydropower. Because they do not burn fossil fuels, these renewable energy sources do not release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as they generate electricity. Nuclear energy also creates no greenhouse gas emissions, so it can be thought of as a solution to climate change. However, it does generate radioactive waste that needs long-term, secure storage.

Today, the amount of electricity that comes from renewable energy is growing. A few countries, such as Iceland and Costa Rica, now get nearly all of their electricity from renewable energy. In many other countries, the percentage of electricity from renewable sources is currently small (5 - 10%) but growing.

Wind turbines can be on land or in the ocean, where high winds are common. Credit: Nicholas Doherty on Unsplash

Shrink the footprint of food.

Today, about a fifth of global carbon emissions come from raising farm animals for meat. For example, as cattle digest food they burp, releasing methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, and their manure releases the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. And forests, which take carbon dioxide out of the air, are often cut down so that cattle have space to graze.

Eating a diet that is mostly or entirely plant-based (such as vegetables, bread, rice, and beans) lowers emissions. According to the Drawdown Project , if half the population worldwide adopts a plant-rich diet by 2050, 65 gigatons of carbon dioxide would be kept out of the atmosphere over about 30 years. (For a sense of scale, 65 gigatons of carbon dioxide is nearly two-years-worth of recent emissions from fossil fuels and industry.) Reducing food waste can make an even larger impact, saving about 90 gigatons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over 30 years.

Eating a plant-rich diet lowers greenhouse gas emissions. Credit: Victoria Shes on Unsplash

Travel without making greenhouse gases.

Most of the ways we have to get from place to place currently rely on fossil fuels: gasoline for vehicles and jet fuel for planes. Burning fossil fuels for transportation adds up to 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. We can reduce emissions by shifting to alternative technologies that either don’t need gasoline (like bicycles and electric cars) or don’t need as much (like hybrid cars). Using public transportation, carpooling, biking, and walking leads to fewer vehicles on the road and less greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Cities and towns can make it easier for people to lower greenhouse gas emissions by adding bus routes, bike paths, and sidewalks.

Electric bicycles can be a way to get around without burning gasoline. Credit: Karlis Dambrans/CC BY 2.0

Reduce household waste.

Waste we put in landfills releases greenhouse gases. Almost half the gas released by landfill waste is methane, which is an especially potent greenhouse gas. Landfills are, in fact, the third largest source of methane emissions in the U.S., behind natural gas/petroleum use and animals raised for food production (and their manure). In the U.S., each member of a household produces an average of 2 kg (4.4 lbs) of trash per day. That's 726 kg (1660 lbs) of trash per person per year! Conscious choices, including avoiding unnecessary purchases, buying secondhand, eliminating reliance on single-use containers, switching to reusable bags, bottles, and beverage cups, reducing paper subscriptions and mail in favor of digital options, recycling, and composting, can all help reduce household waste.     

Reduce emissions from industry.

Manufacturing, mining for raw materials, and dealing with the waste all take energy. Most of the products that we buy — everything from phones and TVs to clothing and shoes — are created in factories, which produce up to about 20% of the greenhouse gases emitted worldwide.

There are ways to decrease emissions from manufacturing. Using materials that aren’t made from fossil fuels and don’t release greenhouse gases is a good start. For example, cement releases carbon dioxide as it hardens, but there are alternative products that don’t create greenhouse gases. Similarly, bioplastics made from plants are an alternative to plastics that come from fossil fuels. Companies can also use renewable energy sources to power factories and ship the products that they create in fuel-saving cargo ships.

Take carbon dioxide out of the air.

Along with reducing the amount of carbon dioxide that we add to the air, we can also take action to increase the amount of carbon dioxide we take out of the air. The places where carbon dioxide is pulled out of the air are called carbon sinks. For example, planting trees, bamboo, and other plants increases the number of carbon sinks. Conserving forests, grasslands, peatlands, and wetlands, where carbon is held in plants and soils, protects existing carbon sinks. Farming methods such as planting cover crops and crop rotation keep soils healthy so that they are effective carbon sinks. There are also carbon dioxide removal technologies, which may be able to pull large amounts of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.

As the trees and other plants in a forest use sunlight to create the food they need, they are also pulling carbon dioxide out of the air. Credit: B NW on Unsplash

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• Solving Climate Change
• Why Earth Is Warming
• The Greenhouse Effect
• What's Your Carbon Footprint?
• Classroom Activity: Mitigation or Adaptation?
• Classroom Activity: Solving the Carbon Dioxide Problem
• Stabilization Wedges (Activity and Resources)

Responding to the Climate Threat: Essays on Humanity’s Greatest Challenge

A new book co-authored by MIT Joint Program Founding Co-Director Emeritus Henry Jacoby

From the Back Cover

This book demonstrates how robust and evolving science can be relevant to public discourse about climate policy. Fighting climate change is the ultimate societal challenge, and the difficulty is not just in the wrenching adjustments required to cut greenhouse emissions and to respond to change already under way. A second and equally important difficulty is ensuring widespread public understanding of the natural and social science. This understanding is essential for an effective risk management strategy at a planetary scale. The scientific, economic, and policy aspects of climate change are already a challenge to communicate, without factoring in the distractions and deflections from organized programs of misinformation and denial. 

Here, four scholars, each with decades of research on the climate threat, take on the task of explaining our current understanding of the climate threat and what can be done about it, in lay language―importantly, without losing critical  aspects of the natural and social science. In a series of essays, published during the 2020 presidential election, the COVID pandemic, and through the fall of 2021, they explain the essential components of the challenge, countering the forces of distrust of the science and opposition to a vigorous national response.  

Each of the essays provides an opportunity to learn about a particular aspect of climate science and policy within the complex context of current events. The overall volume is more than the sum of its individual articles. Proceeding each essay is an explanation of the context in which it was written, followed by observation of what has happened since its first publication. In addition to its discussion of topical issues in modern climate science, the book also explores science communication to a broad audience. Its authors are not only scientists – they are also teachers, using current events to teach when people are listening. For preserving Earth’s planetary life support system, science and teaching are essential. Advancing both is an unending task.

About the Authors

Gary Yohe is the Huffington Foundation Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies, Emeritus, at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. He served as convening lead author for multiple chapters and the Synthesis Report for the IPCC from 1990 through 2014 and was vice-chair of the Third U.S. National Climate Assessment.

Henry Jacoby is the William F. Pounds Professor of Management, Emeritus, in the MIT Sloan School of Management and former co-director of the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, which is focused on the integration of the natural and social sciences and policy analysis in application to the threat of global climate change.

Richard Richels directed climate change research at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). He served as lead author for multiple chapters of the IPCC in the areas of mitigation, impacts and adaptation from 1992 through 2014. He also served on the National Assessment Synthesis Team for the first U.S. National Climate Assessment.

Ben Santer is a climate scientist and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellow. He contributed to all six IPCC reports. He was the lead author of Chapter 8 of the 1995 IPCC report which concluded that “the balance of evidence suggests a discernible human influence on global climate”. He is currently a Visiting Researcher at UCLA’s Joint Institute for Regional Earth System Science & Engineering.

Access the Book

View the book on the publisher's website  here .

Order the book from Amazon  here . 

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How You Can Stop Global Warming

Healing the planet starts in your garage, in your kitchen, and at your dining room table.

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Rising sea levels. Raging storms. Searing heat. Ferocious fires. Severe drought. Punishing floods. The effects of climate change are already threatening our health, our communities, our economy, our security, and our children’s future.

What can you do? A whole lot, as it turns out. Americans, on average, produce 21 tons of carbon a year, about four times the global average. Personal action is, of course, no substitute for meaningful government policies. We still must limit carbon pollution and aggressively move away from dirty fossil fuels toward cleaner power.

But it’s important to remember the equally vital contributions that can be made by private citizens—which is to say, by you. “Change only happens when individuals take action,” says clean energy advocate Aliya Haq. “There’s no other way, if it doesn’t start with people.”

Here are a dozen easy, effective ways each one of us can make a difference.

1. Speak up!

What’s the single biggest way you can make an impact on global climate change? “Talk to your friends and family, and make sure your representatives are making good decisions,” Haq says. By voicing your concerns—via social media or, better yet, directly to your elected officials —you send a message that you care about the warming world. Encourage Congress to enact new laws that limit carbon emissions and require polluters to pay for the emissions they produce. “The main reason elected officials do anything difficult is because their constituents make them,” Haq says. You can help protect public lands, stop offshore drilling, and more here .

2. Power your home with renewable energy.

Choose a utility company that generates at least half its power from wind or solar and has been certified by Green-e Energy , an organization that vets renewable energy options. If that isn’t possible for you, take a look at your electric bill; many utilities now list other ways to support renewable sources on their monthly statements and websites.

3. Weatherize, weatherize, weatherize.

“Building heating and cooling are among the biggest uses of energy,” Haq says. Indeed, heating and air-conditioning account for almost half of home energy use. You can make your space more energy efficient by sealing drafts and ensuring it’s adequately insulated. You can also claim federal tax credits for many energy efficiency home improvements. To help you figure out where to start, you could also get a home energy audit, which some utilities offer free of charge. (Alternatively, you can hire a professional to come to your home and perform one; the Inflation Reduction Act offers a partial tax credit for this.) The EPA’s Home Energy Yardstick gives you a simple assessment of your home’s annual energy use compared with similar homes.

4. Invest in energy-efficient appliances.

Since they were first implemented nationally in 1987, efficiency standards for dozens of appliances and products have kept 2.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide out of the air. That’s about the same amount as the annual carbon pollution coughed up by nearly 440 million cars. “Energy efficiency is the lowest-cost way to reduce emissions,” Haq says. When shopping for refrigerators, washing machines, heat pump water heaters , and other appliances, look for the Energy Star label. It will tell you which are the most efficient. (There may also be rebates to earn from your purchase of Energy Star–certified products.)

And when you’re ready to swap out your old machines, don’t just put them on the curb: Recycling an old refrigerator through the EPA’s Responsible Appliance Disposal Program can prevent an additional 10,000 pounds of carbon pollution because the global-warming pollutants in the refrigerants and foam would be properly captured rather than vented to the air.

5. Reduce water waste.

Saving water reduces carbon pollution, too. That's because it takes a lot of energy to pump, heat, and treat your water. So take shorter showers, turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, and switch to WaterSense -labeled fixtures and appliances. The EPA estimates that if just one out of every 100 American homes were retrofitted with water-efficient fixtures, about 100 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year would be saved—avoiding 80,000 tons of global warming pollution .

6. Actually eat the food you buy—and compost what you can’t.

Approximately 10 percent of U.S. energy use goes into growing, processing, packaging, and shipping food—about 40 percent of which winds up in the landfill. “If you’re wasting less food, you’re likely cutting down on energy consumption,” Haq says. As for the scraps you can’t eat or the leftovers you don’t get to, collect them in a compost bin instead of sending them to the landfill where they release methane. Recycling food and other organic waste into compost provides a range of environmental benefits, including improving soil health, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, recycling nutrients, and mitigating the impact of droughts.

7. Buy better bulbs.

LED light bulbs use one-sixth the amount of energy to deliver the same amount of light as conventional incandescents and last at least 10 times longer. They’re also cheaper in the long run: A 10-watt LED that replaces your traditional 60-watt bulb will save you $125 over the light bulb’s life. And because the average American home has around 40 to 50 light bulbs, this is a simple swap that will reap huge rewards. If every household in the United States replaced just one incandescent with an Energy Star–labeled LED, we would prevent seven billion pounds of carbon pollution per year. That’s equivalent to the emissions of about 648,000 cars.

8. Pull the plug(s).

Taken together, the outlets in your home are likely powering about 65 devices—an average load for a home in the United States. Audio and video devices, cordless vacuums and power tools, and other electronics use energy even when they're not charging. This "idle load" across all U.S. households adds up to the output of 50 large power plants in the country . So don't leave fully charged devices plugged into your home's outlets, unplug rarely used devices or plug them into power strips and timers, and adjust your computers and monitors to automatically power down to the lowest power mode when not in use.

9. Drive a fuel-efficient vehicle.

Gas-smart cars, such as hybrids and fully electric vehicles, save fuel and money . And once all cars and light trucks meet 2025’s clean car standards, which means averaging 54.5 miles per gallon, they’ll be a mainstay. For good reason: Relative to a national fleet of vehicles that averaged only 28.3 miles per gallon in 2011, Americans will spend $80 billion less at the pump each year and cut their automotive emissions by half. Before you buy a new set of wheels, compare fuel-economy performance here .

10. Maintain your ride.

If all Americans kept their tires properly inflated, we could save 1.2 billion gallons of gas each year. A simple tune-up can boost miles per gallon anywhere from 4 percent to 40 percent, and a new air filter can get you a 10 percent boost. Also, remove unnecessary accessories from your car roof. Roof racks and clamshell storage containers can reduce fuel efficiency by as much as 5 percent.

11. Rethink planes, trains, and automobiles.

Choosing to live in walkable smart-growth cities and towns with quality public transportation leads to less driving, less money spent on fuel, and less pollution in the air . Less frequent flying can make a big difference, too. “Air transport is a major source of climate pollution,” Haq says. “If you can take a train instead, do that.” If you must fly, consider purchasing carbon offsets to counterbalance the hefty carbon pollution associated with flying. But not all carbon offset companies are alike. Do your homework to find the best supplier.

12. Reduce, reuse, and recycle.

In the United States, the average person generates 4.5 pounds of trash every day. Fortunately, not all the items we discard end up in landfills; we recycle or compost more than one-third of our trash. In 2014 this saved carbon emissions equivalent to the yearly output of 38 million passenger cars . But we could be doing so much more. “ Reduce should always be the number-one priority,” says NRDC senior resource specialist Darby Hoover . And to reap the environmental benefits of “recyclable” goods, you must recycle according to the rules of your municipality, since systems vary widely by location . Search your municipality’s sanitation department (or equivalent) webpage to learn exactly what you can place in the recycling bin, as counties and cities often differ in what they accept.

This story was originally published on April 20, 2022 and has been updated with new information and links.

This NRDC.org story is available for online republication by news media outlets or nonprofits under these conditions: The writer(s) must be credited with a byline; you must note prominently that the story was originally published by NRDC.org and link to the original; the story cannot be edited (beyond simple things such as grammar); you can’t resell the story in any form or grant republishing rights to other outlets; you can’t republish our material wholesale or automatically—you need to select stories individually; you can’t republish the photos or graphics on our site without specific permission; you should drop us a note to let us know when you’ve used one of our stories.

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• Table Of Contents

Human activity affects global surface temperatures by changing Earth ’s radiative balance—the “give and take” between what comes in during the day and what Earth emits at night. Increases in greenhouse gases —i.e., trace gases such as carbon dioxide and methane that absorb heat energy emitted from Earth’s surface and reradiate it back—generated by industry and transportation cause the atmosphere to retain more heat, which increases temperatures and alters precipitation patterns.

Global warming, the phenomenon of increasing average air temperatures near Earth’s surface over the past one to two centuries, happens mostly in the troposphere , the lowest level of the atmosphere, which extends from Earth’s surface up to a height of 6–11 miles. This layer contains most of Earth’s clouds and is where living things and their habitats and weather primarily occur.

Continued global warming is expected to impact everything from energy use to water availability to crop productivity throughout the world. Poor countries and communities with limited abilities to adapt to these changes are expected to suffer disproportionately. Global warming is already being associated with increases in the incidence of severe and extreme weather, heavy flooding , and wildfires —phenomena that threaten homes, dams, transportation networks, and other facets of human infrastructure. Learn more about how the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report, released in 2021, describes the social impacts of global warming.

Polar bears live in the Arctic , where they use the region’s ice floes as they hunt seals and other marine mammals . Temperature increases related to global warming have been the most pronounced at the poles, where they often make the difference between frozen and melted ice. Polar bears rely on small gaps in the ice to hunt their prey. As these gaps widen because of continued melting, prey capture has become more challenging for these animals.

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global warming , the phenomenon of increasing average air temperatures near the surface of Earth over the past one to two centuries. Climate scientists have since the mid-20th century gathered detailed observations of various weather phenomena (such as temperatures, precipitation , and storms) and of related influences on climate (such as ocean currents and the atmosphere’s chemical composition). These data indicate that Earth’s climate has changed over almost every conceivable timescale since the beginning of geologic time and that human activities since at least the beginning of the Industrial Revolution have a growing influence over the pace and extent of present-day climate change .

Giving voice to a growing conviction of most of the scientific community , the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was formed in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). The IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), published in 2021, noted that the best estimate of the increase in global average surface temperature between 1850 and 2019 was 1.07 °C (1.9 °F). An IPCC special report produced in 2018 noted that human beings and their activities have been responsible for a worldwide average temperature increase between 0.8 and 1.2 °C (1.4 and 2.2 °F) since preindustrial times, and most of the warming over the second half of the 20th century could be attributed to human activities.

AR6 produced a series of global climate predictions based on modeling five greenhouse gas emission scenarios that accounted for future emissions, mitigation (severity reduction) measures, and uncertainties in the model projections. Some of the main uncertainties include the precise role of feedback processes and the impacts of industrial pollutants known as aerosols , which may offset some warming. The lowest-emissions scenario, which assumed steep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions beginning in 2015, predicted that the global mean surface temperature would increase between 1.0 and 1.8 °C (1.8 and 3.2 °F) by 2100 relative to the 1850–1900 average. This range stood in stark contrast to the highest-emissions scenario, which predicted that the mean surface temperature would rise between 3.3 and 5.7 °C (5.9 and 10.2 °F) by 2100 based on the assumption that greenhouse gas emissions would continue to increase throughout the 21st century. The intermediate-emissions scenario, which assumed that emissions would stabilize by 2050 before declining gradually, projected an increase of between 2.1 and 3.5 °C (3.8 and 6.3 °F) by 2100.

Many climate scientists agree that significant societal, economic, and ecological damage would result if the global average temperature rose by more than 2 °C (3.6 °F) in such a short time. Such damage would include increased extinction of many plant and animal species, shifts in patterns of agriculture , and rising sea levels. By 2015 all but a few national governments had begun the process of instituting carbon reduction plans as part of the Paris Agreement , a treaty designed to help countries keep global warming to 1.5 °C (2.7 °F) above preindustrial levels in order to avoid the worst of the predicted effects. Whereas authors of the 2018 special report noted that should carbon emissions continue at their present rate, the increase in average near-surface air temperature would reach 1.5 °C sometime between 2030 and 2052, authors of the AR6 report suggested that this threshold would be reached by 2041 at the latest.

The AR6 report also noted that the global average sea level had risen by some 20 cm (7.9 inches) between 1901 and 2018 and that sea level rose faster in the second half of the 20th century than in the first half. It also predicted, again depending on a wide range of scenarios, that the global average sea level would rise by different amounts by 2100 relative to the 1995–2014 average. Under the report’s lowest-emission scenario, sea level would rise by 28–55 cm (11–21.7 inches), whereas, under the intermediate emissions scenario, sea level would rise by 44–76 cm (17.3–29.9 inches). The highest-emissions scenario suggested that sea level would rise by 63–101 cm (24.8–39.8 inches) by 2100.

The scenarios referred to above depend mainly on future concentrations of certain trace gases, called greenhouse gases , that have been injected into the lower atmosphere in increasing amounts through the burning of fossil fuels for industry, transportation , and residential uses. Modern global warming is the result of an increase in magnitude of the so-called greenhouse effect , a warming of Earth’s surface and lower atmosphere caused by the presence of water vapour , carbon dioxide , methane , nitrous oxides , and other greenhouse gases. In 2014 the IPCC first reported that concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxides in the atmosphere surpassed those found in ice cores dating back 800,000 years.

Of all these gases, carbon dioxide is the most important, both for its role in the greenhouse effect and for its role in the human economy. It has been estimated that, at the beginning of the industrial age in the mid-18th century, carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere were roughly 280 parts per million (ppm). By the end of 2022 they had risen to 419 ppm, and, if fossil fuels continue to be burned at current rates, they are projected to reach 550 ppm by the mid-21st century—essentially, a doubling of carbon dioxide concentrations in 300 years.

A vigorous debate is in progress over the extent and seriousness of rising surface temperatures, the effects of past and future warming on human life, and the need for action to reduce future warming and deal with its consequences. This article provides an overview of the scientific background related to the subject of global warming. It considers the causes of rising near-surface air temperatures, the influencing factors, the process of climate research and forecasting, and the possible ecological and social impacts of rising temperatures. For an overview of the public policy developments related to global warming occurring since the mid-20th century, see global warming policy . For a detailed description of Earth’s climate, its processes, and the responses of living things to its changing nature, see climate . For additional background on how Earth’s climate has changed throughout geologic time , see climatic variation and change . For a full description of Earth’s gaseous envelope, within which climate change and global warming occur, see atmosphere .

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Essay on Climate Change: Check Samples in 100, 250 Words

• Updated on  
• Sep 21, 2023

Writing an essay on climate change is crucial to raise awareness and advocate for action. The world is facing environmental challenges, so in a situation like this such essay topics can serve as s platform to discuss the causes, effects, and solutions to this pressing issue. They offer an opportunity to engage readers in understanding the urgency of mitigating climate change for the sake of our planet’s future.

Must Read: Essay On Environment  

Table of Contents

• 1 What Is Climate Change?
• 2 What are the Causes of Climate Change?
• 3 What are the effects of Climate Change?
• 4 How to fight climate change?
• 5 Essay On Climate Change in 100 Words
• 6 Climate Change Sample Essay 250 Words

What Is Climate Change?

Climate change is the significant variation of average weather conditions becoming, for example, warmer, wetter, or drier—over several decades or longer. It may be natural or anthropogenic. However, in recent times, it’s been in the top headlines due to escalations caused by human interference.

What are the Causes of Climate Change?

Obama at the First Session of COP21 rightly quoted “We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change, and the last generation that can do something about it.”.Identifying the causes of climate change is the first step to take in our fight against climate change. Below stated are some of the causes of climate change:

• Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Mainly from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) for energy and transportation.
• Deforestation: The cutting down of trees reduces the planet’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide.
• Industrial Processes: Certain manufacturing activities release potent greenhouse gases.
• Agriculture: Livestock and rice cultivation emit methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

What are the effects of Climate Change?

Climate change poses a huge risk to almost all life forms on Earth. The effects of climate change are listed below:

• Global Warming: Increased temperatures due to trapped heat from greenhouse gases.
• Melting Ice and Rising Sea Levels: Ice caps and glaciers melt, causing oceans to rise.
• Extreme Weather Events: More frequent and severe hurricanes, droughts, and wildfires.
• Ocean Acidification: Oceans absorb excess CO2, leading to more acidic waters harming marine life.
• Disrupted Ecosystems: Shifting climate patterns disrupt habitats and threaten biodiversity.
• Food and Water Scarcity: Altered weather affects crop yields and strains water resources.
• Human Health Risks: Heat-related illnesses and the spread of diseases.
• Economic Impact: Damage to infrastructure and increased disaster-related costs.
• Migration and Conflict: Climate-induced displacement and resource competition.

How to fight climate change?

‘Climate change is a terrible problem, and it absolutely needs to be solved. It deserves to be a huge priority,’ says Bill Gates. The below points highlight key actions to combat climate change effectively.

• Energy Efficiency: Improve energy efficiency in all sectors.
• Protect Forests: Stop deforestation and promote reforestation.
• Sustainable Agriculture: Adopt eco-friendly farming practices.
• Advocacy: Raise awareness and advocate for climate-friendly policies.
• Innovation: Invest in green technologies and research.
• Government Policies: Enforce climate-friendly regulations and targets.
• Corporate Responsibility: Encourage sustainable business practices.
• Individual Action: Reduce personal carbon footprint and inspire others.

Essay On Climate Change in 100 Words

Climate change refers to long-term alterations in Earth’s climate patterns, primarily driven by human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation, which release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These gases trap heat, leading to global warming. The consequences of climate change are widespread and devastating. Rising temperatures cause polar ice caps to melt, contributing to sea level rise and threatening coastal communities. Extreme weather events, like hurricanes and wildfires, become more frequent and severe, endangering lives and livelihoods. Additionally, shifts in weather patterns can disrupt agriculture, leading to food shortages. To combat climate change, global cooperation, renewable energy adoption, and sustainable practices are crucial for a more sustainable future.

Must Read: Essay On Global Warming

Climate Change Sample Essay 250 Words

Climate change represents a pressing global challenge that demands immediate attention and concerted efforts. Human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, have significantly increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This results in a greenhouse effect, trapping heat and leading to a rise in global temperatures, commonly referred to as global warming.

The consequences of climate change are far-reaching and profound. Rising sea levels threaten coastal communities, displacing millions and endangering vital infrastructure. Extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, droughts, and wildfires, have become more frequent and severe, causing devastating economic and human losses. Disrupted ecosystems affect biodiversity and the availability of vital resources, from clean water to agricultural yields.

Moreover, climate change has serious implications for food and water security. Changing weather patterns disrupt traditional farming practices and strain freshwater resources, potentially leading to conflicts over access to essential commodities.

Addressing climate change necessitates a multifaceted approach. First, countries must reduce their greenhouse gas emissions through the transition to renewable energy sources, increased energy efficiency, and reforestation efforts. International cooperation is crucial to set emission reduction targets and hold nations accountable for meeting them.

In conclusion, climate change is a global crisis with profound and immediate consequences. Urgent action is needed to mitigate its impacts and secure a sustainable future for our planet. By reducing emissions and implementing adaptation strategies, we can protect vulnerable communities, preserve ecosystems, and ensure a livable planet for future generations. The time to act is now.

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in Earth’s climate patterns, primarily driven by human activities like burning fossil fuels and deforestation.

Five key causes of climate change include excessive greenhouse gas emissions from human activities, notably burning fossil fuels and deforestation. 

We hope this blog gave you an idea about how to write and present an essay on climate change that puts forth your opinions. The skill of writing an essay comes in handy when appearing for standardized language tests. Thinking of taking one soon? Leverage Edu provides the best online test prep for the same via Leverage Live . Register today to know more!

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Home / For Educators: Grades 6-12 / Climate Explained: Introductory Essays About Climate Change Topics

Climate Explained: Introductory Essays About Climate Change Topics

Filed under: backgrounders for educators ,.

Climate Explained, a part of Yale Climate Connections, is an essay collection that addresses an array of climate change questions and topics, including why it’s cold outside if global warming is real, how we know that humans are responsible for global warming, and the relationship between climate change and national security.

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Climate Change Basics: Five Facts, Ten Words

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To simplify the scientific complexity of climate change, we focus on communicating five key facts about climate change that everyone should know. 

Why should we care about climate change?

Having different perspectives about global warming is natural, but the most important thing that anyone should know about climate change is why it matters.  

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NPR's Climate Week: A Search For Solutions

Climate solutions are necessary. so we're dedicating a week to highlight them.

Julia Simon

Wind turbines are seen in Big Spring, Texas. Humans are driving global warming; that means humans can find solutions to change our trajectory. Brandon Bell/Getty Images hide caption

Climate change is here. And this week, NPR is doing something new. We're dedicating an entire week to focus on the search for climate solutions, with stories across our network.

Why we're focusing on climate solutions

We've just emerged from a brutal summer. Heat waves across the U.S. and the world. Fires across Canada . In Maui, the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in a century. Hurricanes. Melting polar ice. Ocean heat waves killing coral . When I talk with people about climate change, I often hear hopelessness. Like we've already lost. People just throw up their hands. What do you say to that?

I'm Julia Simon, NPR's climate solutions reporter. I know that things are bad right now. But what if we reframe the conversation? With climate change, it's not like this is a meteor hurtling toward Earth and there's nothing we can do about it.

Climate solutions do exist. These 6 experts detail what they look like

Humans are driving global warming. And that means we humans can find solutions to change our trajectory. We already have many solutions.

Now is not the time to back away from the challenge. Robert Bullard, professor of urban planning and environmental policy at Texas Southern University, equates this moment to when the U.S. faced past injustices, like slavery.

"I push back against any individuals or organizations that will say, 'Well, we can't do anything about this challenge.' We can do something about it. But it would mean that we have to make up our minds that this is a challenge that we must address on a societal basis and on a global basis," he says. "We should not and cannot accept climate change as the norm."

How we define climate solutions

Broadly speaking, climate solutions are things that reduce greenhouse gases — like solar and wind energy combined with batteries. Energy efficiency. Land use is key too, like reducing deforestation. Individuals can play a role also — for example, eating less meat.

But we have to remind folks that solutions are not all on individuals. A lot of solutions come down to companies and governments.

For example, last year President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act — the most significant piece of climate policy in U.S. history .

Governments can set the agenda for climate policy. We saw this in Brazil; the current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is cracking down on deforestation in the Amazon . Under his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil's deforestation was surging. So some advocates see voting as a powerful climate solution.

Trees and other plants help keep cities cooler. In New York City, scientists are working to understand how to maximize the benefits of urban green spaces. Here, residents gather in Brooklyn Bridge Park on a hot summer night. Ryan Kellman/NPR hide caption

Adapting to our warming planet is also a climate solution

We will need to rebuild infrastructure for rising sea levels and new rainfall patterns. Adapting to climate change doesn't mean we're giving up — adaptation is a necessary part of reducing the harms of climate change. Also, planting trees in warming cities provides shade and cools us down. And trees store planet-heating carbon dioxide.

There's a word — "co-benefits." Ways that curbing greenhouse gases might make life better too. If we replace coal- and gas-fired power plants with renewables, we reduce greenhouse gases that warm our planet. But we also end up reducing other kinds of air pollution and make cities better for our lungs. Disadvantaged communities bear the brunt of pollution, so reducing fossil fuels would help communities of color.

Seaweed is mucking up beaches. This robot could stop it — and fight climate change

There's an equity component to climate solutions.

Climate solutions should not be repeating inequities and injustices of the past. As we make more batteries and electric vehicles, for example, how do we ensure that mining for the key metals in those technologies is done ethically? How do we avoid mining that pollutes water or grabbing land from Indigenous communities?

And we have to remember that some individuals and companies are more responsible for climate change than others. So how do we hold them accountable? This summer in Montana, 16 young plaintiffs won a climate lawsuit arguing against the state's development of fossil fuels. Last month, California filed suit against several of the world's biggest oil companies. These cases could have major implications across the United States. Accountability can be a climate solution too.

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Perspectives

Natural Solutions to Climate Change

November 21, 2017

By Justin Adams, Executive Director, Tropical Forest Alliance

In response to climate change, land is key. Today, agriculture, forestry, and other land uses account for roughly a quarter of global greenhouse-gas emissions. But adopting sustainable land management strategies could provide more than one-third of the near-term emission reductions needed to keep warming well below the target—2°C above pre-industrial levels—set by the Paris climate agreement.

Conservation organizations like mine have long been working to balance the interaction between people and nature. But only recently have we fully grasped just how important land-use management is in addressing climate change. With the development of remote sensing, artificial intelligence, and biogeochemical modeling, we can better forecast outcomes, and develop strategies to manage and minimize adverse consequences.

Some of the most promising ways to mitigate climate change are what we call “natural climate solutions”: the conservation, restoration, and improved management of land, in order to increase carbon storage or avoid greenhouse-gas emissions in landscapes worldwide. The full potential of these solutions is detailed in a new study produced by my organization, the Nature Conservancy, and 15 other leading institutions.

Among the most important natural climate solutions is protecting “frontier forests”—pristine woodlands that serve as natural carbon sinks. Intact tropical and northern forests, as well as savannas and coastal ecosystems, store huge amounts of carbon accumulated over centuries. When these areas are disturbed, carbon is released. Preservation of frontier habitats also helps regulate water flows, reduces the risk of flooding, and maintains biodiversity.

Forests Can Absorb Carbon Quicker Than We Thought

Related reading.

New research shows that letting forests regrow on their own could be a secret weapon to fighting climate change.

GET THE RESULTS ›

Reforestation is another important natural solution. Globally, an estimated  two billion hectares  (4.9 billion acres) of land has been  deforested or degraded . Because trees are the best carbon-capture-and-storage technology the world has, reversing these numbers would bring a significant reduction in global carbon levels. We  estimate  that the world could capture three gigatons of CO2 annually—equivalent to taking more than 600 million cars off the roads—simply by planting more trees.

A third category of natural solution is agricultural reform. From field to fork, the food sector is a major contributor to climate change through direct and indirect emissions, and by its often-negative effects on soil health and deforestation. Recognizing these risks, 23 global companies—including Nestlé, McDonald’s, Tesco, and Unilever—recently signed a commitment to halt deforestation in Brazil’s Cerrado savanna. The region, which covers a quarter of the country, has come under growing pressure from production of beef,  soy , and other commodities, together with the associated infrastructure.

As the Cerrado pledge demonstrates, when governments and businesses come together to address land-use challenges, the impact is potent. Natural climate solutions have the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by an estimated 11.3 billion tons a year – equal to a complete halt in burning oil, according to our study. 

One recent study  calculated that if Brazil reached zero deforestation by 2030, it would add 0.6% of GDP, or about $15 billion, to its economy. Communities also reap secondary benefits—such as rural regeneration, improved food and water security, and coastal resilience – when natural climate solutions are implemented.

Yet, despite the data supporting better land-use decision-making, something isn’t adding up. In 2016, the world witnessed a dramatic  51% increase in forest loss , equivalent to an area about the size of New Zealand. We need to buck this trend now, and help the world realize that land-use planning is not simply a conservation story.

Nature’s Make or Break for Climate Change

Research shows nature could provide one third of the emission reductions needed to tackle climate change.

READ ABOUT NATURE'S POTENTIAL

Some countries are moving in the right direction. The Indian government, for example, has set aside $6 billion  for states to invest in forest restoration. In Indonesia, the government created a dedicated agency to protect and restore peatlands, bogs, and swamp-like ecosystems that have immense CO 2 storage capabilities.

But they are the exceptions. Of the 160 countries that committed to implementing the Paris climate agreement, only 36 have specified land-use management in their emissions-reduction strategies.

Overcoming inertia will not be easy. Forests, farms, and coasts vary in size, type, and accessibility. Moreover, the lives of hundreds of millions of people are tied to these ecosystems, and projects that restore forest cover or improve soil health require focused planning, a massive undertaking for many governments.

One way to get things moving, especially in the agricultural sector, would be to remove or redirect subsidies that encourage excessive consumption of fertilizers, water, or energy in food production. As Indian government officials reminded their peers during a World Trade Organization meeting earlier this year, meaningful agricultural reforms can begin only when rich countries reduce the “ disproportionately large ” subsidies they give their own farmers.

Supporting innovation and entrepreneurship can also help power change. New processes and technologies in landscape planning, soil analysis, irrigation, and even alternative proteins such as plant-based meat are making agriculture and land use more sustainable. Similarly, changes in the construction industry, which is turning to more efficiently produced products like cross-laminated timber (CLT), can help reduce carbon pollution.

Finally, financing options for natural climate solutions must be dramatically increased. While payments to conserve forests are starting to flow under the UN’s REDD+ program , and the Green Climate Fund has committed $500 million for forest protection payments, total public investment in sustainable land use remains inadequate. According to the Climate Policy Initiative , public financing for agriculture, forestry, and land-use mitigation attracted just $3 billion in 2014, compared to $49 billion for renewable energy generation and $26 billion for energy efficiency.

At the UN climate change meeting that just concluded in Bonn, Germany, global leaders reaffirmed that the world cannot respond adequately to rising temperatures if governments continue ignoring how forests, farms , and coasts are managed. Now that there is a firm consensus, governments must act on it.

Originally Posted on  Project Syndicate December 22, 2017 View Original

Related Reading

Nature’s Make or Break Potential for Climate Change

This study shows we’ve been underestimating nature’s role in tackling climate change.

There is a Forgotten Solution to Climate Change That We Must Invest In: Nature

We have forgotten the role nature can play in mitigating climate change.

A Natural Path for U.S. Climate Action

The United States could mitigate a fifth of its emissions through conservation and land management.

Global Insights

Check out our latest thinking and real-world solutions to some of the most complex challenges facing people and the planet today.

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Essay on Climate Change

Climate Change Essay - The globe is growing increasingly sensitive to climate change. It is currently a serious worldwide concern. The term "Climate Change" describes changes to the earth's climate. It explains the atmospheric changes that have occurred across time, spanning from decades to millions of years. Here are some sample essays on climate change.

100 Words Essay on Climate Change

200 words essay on climate change, 500 words essay on climate change.

The climatic conditions on Earth are changing due to climate change. Several internal and external variables, such as solar radiation, variations in the Earth's orbit, volcanic eruptions, plate tectonics, etc., are to blame for this.

There are strategies for climate change reduction. If not implemented, the weather might get worse, there might be water scarcity, there could be lower agricultural output, and it might affect people's ability to make a living. In order to breathe clean air and drink pure water, you must concentrate on limiting human activity. These are the simple measures that may be taken to safeguard the environment and its resources.

The climate of the Earth has changed significantly over time. While some of these changes were brought on by natural events like volcanic eruptions, floods, forest fires, etc., many of the changes were brought on by human activity. The burning of fossil fuels, domesticating livestock, and other human activities produce a significant quantity of greenhouse gases. This results in an increase of greenhouse effect and global warming which are the major causes for climate change.

Reasons of Climate Change

Some of the reasons of climate change are:

Deforestation

Excessive use of fossil fuels

Water and soil pollution

Plastic and other non biodegradable waste

Wildlife and nature extinction

Consequences of Climate Change

All kinds of life on earth will be affected by climate change if it continues to change at the same pace. The earth's temperature will increase, the monsoon patterns will shift, the sea level will rise, and there will be more frequent storms, volcano eruptions, and other natural calamities. The earth's biological and ecological equilibrium will be disturbed. Humans won't be able to access clean water or air to breathe when the environment becomes contaminated. The end of life on this earth is imminent. To reduce the issue of climate change, we need to bring social awareness along with strict measures to protect and preserve the natural environment.

A shift in the world's climatic pattern is referred to as climate change. Over the centuries, the climate pattern of our planet has undergone modifications. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has significantly grown.

When Did Climate Change Begin

It is possible to see signs of climate change as early as the beginning of the industrial revolution. The pace at which the manufacturers produced things on a large scale required a significant amount of raw materials. Since the raw materials being transformed into finished products now have such huge potential for profit, these business models have spread quickly over the world. Hazardous substances and chemicals build up in the environment as a result of company emissions and waste disposal.

Although climate change is a natural occurrence, it is evident that human activity is turning into the primary cause of the current climate change situation. The major cause is the growing population. Natural resources are utilised more and more as a result of the population's fast growth placing a heavy burden on the available resources. Over time, as more and more products and services are created, pollution will eventually increase.

Causes of Climate Change

There are a number of factors that have contributed towards weather change in the past and continue to do so. Let us look at a few:

Solar Radiation |The climate of earth is determined by how quickly the sun's energy is absorbed and distributed throughout space. This energy is transmitted throughout the world by the winds, ocean currents etc which affects the climatic conditions of the world. Changes in solar intensity have an effect on the world's climate.

Deforestation | The atmosphere's carbon dioxide is stored by trees. As a result of their destruction, carbon dioxide builds up more quickly since there are no trees to absorb it. Additionally, trees release the carbon they stored when we burn them.

Agriculture | Many kinds of greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere by growing crops and raising livestock. Animals, for instance, create methane, a greenhouse gas that is 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The nitrous oxide used in fertilisers is roughly 300 times more strong than carbon dioxide.

How to Prevent Climate Change

We need to look out for drastic steps to stop climate change since it is affecting the resources and life on our planet. We can stop climate change if the right solutions are put in place. Here are some strategies for reducing climate change:

Raising public awareness of climate change

Prohibiting tree-cutting and deforestation.

Ensure the surroundings are clean.

Refrain from using chemical fertilisers.

Water and other natural resource waste should be reduced.

Protect the animals and plants.

Purchase energy-efficient goods and equipment.

Increase the number of trees in the neighbourhood and its surroundings.

Follow the law and safeguard the environment's resources.

Reduce the amount of energy you use.

During the last few decades especially, climate change has grown to be of concern. Global concern has been raised over changes in the Earth's climatic pattern. The causes of climate change are numerous, as well as the effects of it and it is our responsibility as inhabitants of this planet to look after its well being and leave it in a better condition for future generations.

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Climate Change – Problems and Solutions Essay

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Natural Causes of climate change

Man-made causes of climate change, the potential impact of global warming, the current impact of global warming, possible solutions to global warming, current implication of global warming solutions.

Global warming is an increasing concern in the world caused by the excessive release of greenhouse gases. It is causing a devastating impact on the environment and affecting the quality of life. Natural causes are difficult to control since they are sometimes beyond human capabilities. However, effort should be made to manage certain situations such as forest fires by responding effectively to put them off. Moreover, human activities can influence natural disasters particularly when they interfere with natural processes. Flooding may occur because of activities such as agricultural activities, urban development, deforestation, hydroelectric power, and the destruction of wetlands. Inappropriate mining can create permanent landscape modifications such as drying up of oceans while building dams can trigger earthquakes.

Humans have played a great role in climate change particularly global warming because of engaging in activities that affect the environment. Failure to prioritize environmental issues and not being concerned about the impact of human activities on the environment has continued degrading natural resources. Effective regulations should be established to hinder activities that cause the generation of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The time has come when every nation should start prioritizing environmental issues more than other factors such as economic and social.

Global warming is likely to cause a severer impact if sufficient measures are not taken to address the problem. The potential impact could affect the quality of life in a great way and cause more suffering to humans. Increasing deserts would affect the availability of food and water resulting in the development of new diseases and hunger. The potential impact could be the reduction of human and animal population, as the world becomes a harsh environment. Drying up sources of water and flooding the other areas would kill many animals and interfere with important activities such as mating.

Global warming is causing devastating effects, and worsening many disasters such as droughts, storms, and heatwaves. The warmer climate tends to retain, collect and then drop more water influencing the weather patterns to change where dry areas become drier and wet areas wetter (Price et al., 2020). The problem increases stress on the ecosystem following water shortages, pest and weed invasions, and salt invasions.

The rising cases of drought following the shortage of rainfall are threatening the lives of many people living in those regions. Extended dry seasons affect the availability of food to both humans and animals. On the other hand, rising sea levels along the coast have displaced people forcing them to move to higher regions. This is increasing pressure for resources as people move to settle in other areas. Moreover, some parts of the world such as the Midwest are experiencing extreme hot events and temperatures are likely to worsen unless sufficient measures are taken to address the problem. Extreme temperature increases health risks and influences the development of new ailments that were not common in the past.

Everybody has a role to place in the elimination of the global warming problem in the world. It is important to avoid cutting trees and reduce the utilization of energy to protect the environment. Small energy-saving practices such as unplugging gadgets, switching off lights, and using public transport can have a great impact on the reduction of global warming.

The current solutions focusing on the reduction of global warming have brought many beneficial changes and remedies. Many organizations have been developed to enhance innovation and technology in the innovation of eco-friendly machines. For instance, there has been increased investment in solar and wind energy in an attempt to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Many states have launched campaigns to educate the public on the importance of environmental conservation to create a favorable environment for future generations. People have started changing their behaviors and actions to reduce their carbon footprint.

Kweku, D., Bismark, O., Maxwell, A., Desmond, K., Danso, K., Oti-Mensah, E., Quachie, A., & Adormaa, B. (2018). Greenhouse effect: Greenhouse gases and their impact on global warming. Journal of Scientific Research and Reports, 17(6), 1-9. Web.

Price, M., Rowntree, L., Lewis, M., Wyckoff, W. (2020). Globalization and diversity (6th ed.). Pearson.

• Islamic Revolution and American Invasions
• Flooding and Mitigation Measures
• Global Warming and Man-Made Carbon Dioxide Factor
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Home — Essay Samples — Environment — Climate Change — Climate Change and Global Cooperation

Climate Change and Global Cooperation

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The Role of Electric Grid Research in Addressing Climate Change

• Le Xie , Subir Majumder , +4 authors Mohammad Shahidehpour
• Published 25 June 2024
• Environmental Science, Engineering

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3 Real-World Examples of Companies Tackling Climate Change

• 20 Jun 2024

Among a myriad of global challenges facing society, climate change is one of the most pressing. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) , the 10 warmest years since 1850 have occurred in the past decade—and 2024 is on track to reach the top five .

“Societies around the world are experiencing the costly—and even devastating—effects of these changes,” says Harvard Business School Professor Forest Reinhardt, who co-teaches the online course Business and Climate Change with HBS Professor Mike Toffel. “From more frequent wildfires and hurricanes to more intense heat waves and flooding to rising sea levels and changes in the ocean, these effects are projected to intensify and become more unpredictable in the decades ahead.”

One of the sectors most impacted by and accountable for climate change is business.

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Business’s Role in Climate Change

Firms worldwide are experiencing climate change’s effects through challenges such as cross-border pollution and rising insurance costs. Yet, they’ve also contributed to it by generating excess greenhouse gas emissions by:

• Burning fossil fuels
• Manufacturing cement, steel, and iron
• Producing and managing waste
• Transporting goods
• Clearing land
• Raising livestock
• Using refrigeration and air conditioning

That’s prompted many business leaders to consider how their organizations can be more socially responsible and enact positive change.

“Companies in every industry are changing the ways they do business,” Reinhardt says in Business and Climate Change . “They’re modifying their operations, supply chains, products, and investment strategies to adapt to these changes while working to reduce the emissions that contribute to global climate change.”

Over 8,000 companies have committed to net-zero initiatives and 96 percent of the world’s top 250 report on sustainability.

If you want to follow that trend and help your organization prepare for climate change’s risks and opportunities, here are three real-world examples to inspire your approach.

3 Companies Tackling Climate Change

1. patagonia.

Outdoor apparel manufacturer Patagonia has long been known for its environmental stewardship.

Since 1985, the company has pledged one percent of its sales to preserving and restoring the natural environment and, since 2002, has been part of a global network of firms committed to inspiring collective action and preventing greenwashing —when companies claim they have sustainable business practices but don’t.

More recently, Patagonia made headlines when its founder, Yvon Chouinard, announced he was transferring company ownership to help combat climate change. Rather than sell Patagonia or take it public, Chouinard declared Earth as its “only shareholder,” stating all its profits would go to a specially created trust and nonprofit dedicated to addressing the environmental crisis.

“Instead of ‘going public,’ you could say we’re ‘going purpose,’” Chouinard wrote in a statement . “Instead of extracting value from nature and transforming it into wealth for investors, we’ll use the wealth Patagonia creates to protect the source of all wealth.”

In addition to its financial efforts, Patagonia strives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using recycled materials and decreasing its reliance on carbon-intensive fuels . It also supports grassroots organizations on the frontline of the fight against climate change.

No matter your industry, Patagonia serves as a prime example of how focusing on your organization’s triple bottom line —its environmental and social impact as well as its financial performance—can drive social change and business success.

Learn more about the triple bottom line in the video below, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for additional explainer content.

2. New Belgium Brewing Company

One real-world example featured in Business in Climate Change centers on New Belgium Brewing, a craft beer maker that achieved a major milestone in 2020: making its flagship offering, Fat Tire Ale, the first certified carbon-neutral U.S. beer .

According to the course, carbon neutrality indicates a balance between carbon emissions and removal or sequestration—resulting in no increase in carbon emissions.

“Certified carbon neutral is a certification administered, in our case, by SCS Global, that proves we’re not only working to reduce emissions within our business—and for the Fat Tire brand specifically—but also then engaging to neutralize the emissions that do remain through extremely high-quality programs around regenerative agriculture, renewable energy, and other types of projects that don't just offset but actually have an outsized positive impact on the climate crisis,” says the company’s former Senior Director of Communications and Public Engagement Adam Fletcher on an episode of the Climate Rising podcast , which Toffel hosts.

In Business and Climate Change , New Belgium’s Chief Environmental, Social, and Governance Officer Katie Wallace discusses how the brand’s carbon-neutral pursuit aligned with what its target audience cared about.

“We’ve always had a pretty loyal following around our environmental stewardship and that ethos,” Wallace says. “It wasn't until maybe the late 2010s that we started to get quite a bit of interest and aptitude from consumers as the climate impact started really showing up in a noticeable way through excess hurricanes and wildfires. Then we also just naturally heard people referring to climate change a little bit more.”

New Belgium’s climate change mitigation efforts included:

• Capturing biogas—a renewable energy source produced from the decomposition of organic matter like animal waste and food scraps—from its water treatment plant to generate electricity
• Installing solar panels on brewery buildings
• Advocating for renewable energy
• Switching from bottles to cans to produce a lower carbon footprint

Achieving carbon-neutral status increased Fat Tire sales, which Fletcher attributes to the brand’s sustainability work .

“It shows that beer companies can play a direct and meaningful role in drawing down their carbon emissions and investing in high-quality decarbonization projects that represent a future where climate change is less of a threat,” Fletcher says in Business and Climate Change . “It's also exciting because it gives us tools to engage our customers in a conversation around climate change—the ways and things in our lives that it directly threatens, including beer, and what they can do to play a role in helping to solve it.”

Those tools include suggestions for living more sustainably and supporting climate action on its website . The company also brewed a Torched Earth Ale to show what beer would be like in a climate-ravaged future and rebranded Fat Tire with a new tagline—“high quality, low impact”—to attract more climate-conscious customers.

New Belgium demonstrates not only how purpose can impact business performance but help engage and retain customers .

Technology giant Google’s innovation doesn’t stop with its hallmark search engine and cloud-computing solutions. It’s now on a mission to tackle climate change using artificial intelligence (AI) .

Google’s AI-driven actions have included:

• Implementing fuel-efficient routing in Google Maps
• Building a Flood Hub platform that provides real-time information to prepare for and respond to riverine floods
• Developing contrail forecast maps that enable pilots to choose routes that avoid creating them

On a Climate Rising episode, Head of Google Research Yossi Matias describes that the company prioritizes impact over profit when measuring such efforts.

“The beautiful thing about when we think about the efforts that we're doing at Google is that when we're trying to solve a problem, then the problem doesn't need to tie back to financial consideration,” Matias says. “Once we make a decision that it's part of our mission to help people in the context of the climate crisis, then the metrics by which we measure impact is how much progress we're doing on that. For example, in climate mitigation, the ultimate metric is: ‘How much carbon can we actually save?’ And that's actually the only guiding principle here.”

To that end, the company openly tracks progress toward its goals, which include achieving net-zero emissions across all its operations and value chain by 2030, replenishing 120 percent of the water it consumes, and maximizing finite resources’ reuse by transitioning to a circular economy .

Through all its initiatives, Google shows that technology can be a powerful means of inspiring change.

Real-World Learning Through a Climate Change Course

Although adapting to and mitigating climate change can seem monumental, these companies exemplify the business case for taking action.

“Climate change is one of the world’s biggest societal challenges,” Reinhardt says in Business and Climate Change . “Companies will have to play an active role if we, as a society, are to have any realistic hope of managing the challenges presented by climate change.”

Whether you work at a purpose-driven firm or want to help your organization be more sustainable, one of the best ways to develop your knowledge and creative problem-solving skills is by taking an online course, such as Business and Climate Change . Through interactive learning exercises and real-world examples featuring industry experts, you can gain insights to bolster your organization’s climate change strategy .

Do you want to prepare yourself and your organization for climate change’s effects? Explore Business and Climate Change —one of our online business in society courses —and download our free e-book on becoming a purpose-driven, global business professional.

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More From Forbes

Divided we fall: why the climate community can’t afford to break apart.

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NEW DELHI, INDIA - JUNE 13: People filling water from a supply water tanker of Delhi Government, ... [+] during a high temperature heat wave, at Chilla Village Near Mayur Vihar, on June 13, 2024 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Raj K Raj/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

Temperatures in Delhi, India recently hit more than 50C, leaving thousands hospitalised and a rising death toll. Scientists have warned rising temperatures, exacerbated by climate change, are becoming a public health hazard for a region home to more than 30 million people. In Brazil, unprecedented flooding engulfed the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. Whole cities have been evacuated, roads and bridges destroyed, and the main airport is closed indefinitely. And in Saudi Arabia hundreds have died during the Hajj pilgrimage.

Climate change is here, changing where and how we live and restricting the ability of communities, governments and businesses to operate.

Alarm bells are ringing and a serious discourse on climate change is more crucial than ever. As the stakes rise and the time left for action narrows, informed decision-making has never been more important. The European Parliament elections have shown the make-up of politics at the EU changing, with a strong shift to the right. The French result led to President Emmanuel Macron immediately dissolving the national parliament and calling a new election.

We know that accelerated and robust decision-making on climate change tends to be slower during periods of volatile politics. We also see that growing polarisation across our societies risk driving apart the climate community itself.

Environmentalism has been around for a long time. Rachel Carson’s seminal ‘Silent Spring’ made waves back in the 1960s and since then the movement has grown and moved from the fringes to the centre of public and political attention. At its core the climate and environmental movement continues to embrace many of the traits and belief systems it engendered and nurtured more than half a century ago – passion, courage, determination, speaking truth to power.

What has changed is the make-up and diversity of the community working towards the shared goal of stabilising the climate and restoring nature. Today, those at the table calling for the halving of emissions by 2030 in alignment with the Paris Agreement, include more central, regional and local government and city representatives, indigenous leaders, many more scientists across different disciplines, CEOs from global corporations, SMEs and entrepreneurs, big philanthropic funders, expert journalists and people from a much wider variety of social demographics.

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Such diversity is essential in addressing a challenge that impacts everybody. Yet it can also bring tension, with those galvanising action seeking agreement from a wide range of viewpoints.

In this context, differing ideas on how to solve the problems of climate change and disagreements about tactics must not harden into ideological divisions. Any such intransigence could overshadow collaborative efforts, hindering progress and defining only what tactics separates rather than the goal that unites.

Many people are cautious about the intentions of companies that have committed to decarbonization and with some reason. There have been bad faith actors from the corporate world, greenwashing their activities, depleting the world’s resources, damaging the environment and wasting the planet’s and the climate movement’s time and energies. But that is a very simplistic view of the activities and vast challenges facing businesses today that are trying to transition to green models, especially when technology and policy often need to catch up.

A mature climate community must be able to have a serious and informed conversation about the integral role business has to play in decarbonizing our economies and restoring the natural environment. The issue is not whether a company is over-selling green, the issue is how the barriers to selling green can be removed so that we can advance faster. That includes recognising those companies that are living up to their promises , and increasingly pushing policymakers and politicians to introduce better standards and regulation. It also means spending more energy pushing the laggards to take climate action.

At We Mean Business Coalition, we work with committed business leaders whose dedication to climate action cannot be overestimated. We have seen companies invest in the development of innovative solutions, trying to find low carbon alternatives, new technologies, business models, more dynamic and groundbreaking collaborations. What succeeds in one sector or geography is not a good fit for another, often hampered by less enabling policy landscapes, the absence of level playing fields and price points for green products that customers will not pay. This is a complex obstacle race, and because business knows it is the only route to the decarbonisation that will protect economies, they keep getting up and keep on trying.

Work on climate change and nature restoration and protection is becoming more granular, with more sophisticated policies at national and local level, influenced by business and investor decisions, and is more dependent on society willingness to embrace change. All of those working in this space need to take a hard look at how we collaborate across these multiple layers as it is becoming clearer that what we are doing now isn’t working.

Failure to actively include corporate approaches to climate action, leaves the climate community with a skewed and sometimes unrealistic perception of where solutions lie. It is clear there is no credible route to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement without the leadership, innovation and financial resources of business. Simplistic anti-business, anti-corporate or anti-capitalist sentiment is a failure of experience as to what can be achieved through green investment and markets. It serves none of our goals to persist in old tropes of goodies and baddies.

The science-based transition to a sustainable future will entail trial and error, with course corrections and improved standards and regulation along the way. The urgency of the climate crisis necessitates heuristic solutions - practical, rule-of-thumb approaches that will, in all likelihood, not be perfect but are effective in addressing immediate challenges. Debate cannot be the barrier to action. With all hands on deck, we must commit now and collectively to continuous improvement and adaptation. Later will be too late.

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Climate Change: Evidence and Causes: Update 2020 (2020)

Chapter: conclusion, c onclusion.

This document explains that there are well-understood physical mechanisms by which changes in the amounts of greenhouse gases cause climate changes. It discusses the evidence that the concentrations of these gases in the atmosphere have increased and are still increasing rapidly, that climate change is occurring, and that most of the recent change is almost certainly due to emissions of greenhouse gases caused by human activities. Further climate change is inevitable; if emissions of greenhouse gases continue unabated, future changes will substantially exceed those that have occurred so far. There remains a range of estimates of the magnitude and regional expression of future change, but increases in the extremes of climate that can adversely affect natural ecosystems and human activities and infrastructure are expected.

Citizens and governments can choose among several options (or a mixture of those options) in response to this information: they can change their pattern of energy production and usage in order to limit emissions of greenhouse gases and hence the magnitude of climate changes; they can wait for changes to occur and accept the losses, damage, and suffering that arise; they can adapt to actual and expected changes as much as possible; or they can seek as yet unproven “geoengineering” solutions to counteract some of the climate changes that would otherwise occur. Each of these options has risks, attractions and costs, and what is actually done may be a mixture of these different options. Different nations and communities will vary in their vulnerability and their capacity to adapt. There is an important debate to be had about choices among these options, to decide what is best for each group or nation, and most importantly for the global population as a whole. The options have to be discussed at a global scale because in many cases those communities that are most vulnerable control few of the emissions, either past or future. Our description of the science of climate change, with both its facts and its uncertainties, is offered as a basis to inform that policy debate.

A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The following individuals served as the primary writing team for the 2014 and 2020 editions of this document:

• Eric Wolff FRS, (UK lead), University of Cambridge
• Inez Fung (NAS, US lead), University of California, Berkeley
• Brian Hoskins FRS, Grantham Institute for Climate Change
• John F.B. Mitchell FRS, UK Met Office
• Tim Palmer FRS, University of Oxford
• Benjamin Santer (NAS), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• John Shepherd FRS, University of Southampton
• Keith Shine FRS, University of Reading.
• Susan Solomon (NAS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Kevin Trenberth, National Center for Atmospheric Research
• John Walsh, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
• Don Wuebbles, University of Illinois

Staff support for the 2020 revision was provided by Richard Walker, Amanda Purcell, Nancy Huddleston, and Michael Hudson. We offer special thanks to Rebecca Lindsey and NOAA Climate.gov for providing data and figure updates.

The following individuals served as reviewers of the 2014 document in accordance with procedures approved by the Royal Society and the National Academy of Sciences:

• Richard Alley (NAS), Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University
• Alec Broers FRS, Former President of the Royal Academy of Engineering
• Harry Elderfield FRS, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge
• Joanna Haigh FRS, Professor of Atmospheric Physics, Imperial College London
• Isaac Held (NAS), NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory
• John Kutzbach (NAS), Center for Climatic Research, University of Wisconsin
• Jerry Meehl, Senior Scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research
• John Pendry FRS, Imperial College London
• John Pyle FRS, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge
• Gavin Schmidt, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
• Emily Shuckburgh, British Antarctic Survey
• Gabrielle Walker, Journalist
• Andrew Watson FRS, University of East Anglia

The Support for the 2014 Edition was provided by NAS Endowment Funds. We offer sincere thanks to the Ralph J. and Carol M. Cicerone Endowment for NAS Missions for supporting the production of this 2020 Edition.

F OR FURTHER READING

For more detailed discussion of the topics addressed in this document (including references to the underlying original research), see:

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2019: Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate [ https://www.ipcc.ch/srocc ]
• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), 2019: Negative Emissions Technologies and Reliable Sequestration: A Research Agenda [ https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25259 ]
• Royal Society, 2018: Greenhouse gas removal [ https://raeng.org.uk/greenhousegasremoval ]
• U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), 2018: Fourth National Climate Assessment Volume II: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States [ https://nca2018.globalchange.gov ]
• IPCC, 2018: Global Warming of 1.5°C [ https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15 ]
• USGCRP, 2017: Fourth National Climate Assessment Volume I: Climate Science Special Reports [ https://science2017.globalchange.gov ]
• NASEM, 2016: Attribution of Extreme Weather Events in the Context of Climate Change [ https://www.nap.edu/catalog/21852 ]
• IPCC, 2013: Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) Working Group 1. Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis [ https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg1 ]
• NRC, 2013: Abrupt Impacts of Climate Change: Anticipating Surprises [ https://www.nap.edu/catalog/18373 ]
• NRC, 2011: Climate Stabilization Targets: Emissions, Concentrations, and Impacts Over Decades to Millennia [ https://www.nap.edu/catalog/12877 ]
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Much of the original data underlying the scientific findings discussed here are available at:

• https://data.ucar.edu/
• https://climatedataguide.ucar.edu
• https://iridl.ldeo.columbia.edu
• https://ess-dive.lbl.gov/
• https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/
• https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/
• http://scrippsco2.ucsd.edu
• http://hahana.soest.hawaii.edu/hot/

Climate change is one of the defining issues of our time. It is now more certain than ever, based on many lines of evidence, that humans are changing Earth's climate. The Royal Society and the US National Academy of Sciences, with their similar missions to promote the use of science to benefit society and to inform critical policy debates, produced the original Climate Change: Evidence and Causes in 2014. It was written and reviewed by a UK-US team of leading climate scientists. This new edition, prepared by the same author team, has been updated with the most recent climate data and scientific analyses, all of which reinforce our understanding of human-caused climate change.

Scientific information is a vital component for society to make informed decisions about how to reduce the magnitude of climate change and how to adapt to its impacts. This booklet serves as a key reference document for decision makers, policy makers, educators, and others seeking authoritative answers about the current state of climate-change science.

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• Open access
• Published: 26 June 2024

Climate change and heat stress resilient outdoor workers: findings from systematic literature review

• Peymaneh Habibi 1 ,
• Jaleh Razmjouei 2 ,
• Amirhossein Moradi 3 ,
• Farank Mahdavi 1 ,
• Saeed Fallah-Aliabadi 4 , 5 &
• Ahad Heydari 6  

BMC Public Health volume  24 , Article number:  1711 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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Global warming has led to an increase in the number and intensity of extreme heat events, posing a significant threat to the health and safety of workers, especially those working outdoors, as they often have limited access to cooling strategies. The present systematic literature review (a) summarizes the current knowledge on the impacts of climate change on outdoor workers, (b) provides historical background on this issue, (c) explores factors that reduce and increase thermal stress resilience, (d) discusses the heat mitigation strategies, and (e) provides an overview of existing policy and legal frameworks on occupational heat exposure among outdoor workers.

Materials and methods

In this systematic review, we searched scientific databases including Scopus ( N  = 855), Web of Science ( N  = 828), and PubMed ( N  = 202). Additionally, we identified relevant studies on climate change and heat-stress control measures through Google Scholar ( N  = 116) using specific search terms. In total, we monitored 2001 articles pertaining to worker populations (men = 2921; women = 627) in various outdoor climate conditions across 14 countries. After full-text assessment, 55 studies were selected for inclusion, and finally, 29 eligible papers were included for data extraction.

Failure to implement effective control strategies for outdoor workers will result in decreased resilience to thermal stress. The findings underscore a lack of awareness regarding certain adaptation strategies and interventions aimed at preventing and enhancing resilience to the impact of climate change on heat stress prevalence among workers in outdoor tropical and subtropical environments. However, attractive alternative solutions from the aspects of economic and ecological sustainability in the overall assessment of heat stress resilience can be referred to acclimatization, shading, optimized clothing properties and planned breaks.

The integration of climate change adaptation strategies into occupational health programs can enhance occupational heat resilience among outdoor workers. Conducting cost-benefit evaluations of health and safety measures for thermal stress adaptation strategies among outdoor workers is crucial for professionals and policymakers in low- and middle-income tropical and subtropical countries. In this respect, complementary measures targeting hydration, work-rest regimes, ventilated garments, self-pacing, and mechanization can be adopted to protect outdoor workers. Risk management strategies, adaptive measures, heat risk awareness, practical interventions, training programs, and protective policies should be implemented in hot-dry and hot-humid climates to boost the tolerance and resilience of outdoor workers.

Peer Review reports

Introduction

Extreme weather events and severe heat pose significant hazards to the safety and health of workers, leading to increased accidents, mortality, and morbidity during hot climate conditions [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Global warming presents a new and formidable challenge for most countries [ 4 , 5 ]. Global climate change substantially affects physiological and perceptual responses through both direct and indirect effects on core body temperature [ 6 ], heart rate, skin temperature, and thermal comfort [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Working in hot and humid environments during long shifts with high physical activity can jeopardize the safety and health of worker populations [ 7 , 10 ]. Increased exposure to thermal stress among workers in outdoor environments has been documented in tropical and subtropical countries with hot seasons [ 11 ]. Exposure to hot working environments, and the resulting elevated physiological and perceptual responses, can lead to occupational heat stress, reducing safety, health, and work capacity [ 12 ], and increasing the risk of heat-related illnesses (HRI) [ 13 ]. The increment in the levels of ambient temperature, radiation and shifts in the distribution of daily peak temperature can cause indirect and direct effects on outdoor workers [ 14 , 15 ]. High temperatures and high humidity can exacerbate the effects of physical workload on individuals working outdoors during long shifts in developing and tropical countries [ 16 ]. Working in high-temperature and high-humidity environments can have adverse health effects on workers, particularly agricultural workers, construction workers, drivers, sellers, brick-making workers, and daily wage workers [ 17 , 18 ]. High hot-humid and hot-dry temperatures can lead to occupational heat strain when core body temperature rises above 38 °C [ 19 ]. Exposure to heat radiation, either when working outdoors with exposure to the sun or around hot machinery, can greatly increase physiological pressure and lead to reduced work capacity [ 20 ].These physiological mechanisms worsen under high climate conditions and climate change, emphasizing the need to identify strategies to increase occupational heat stress resilience and develop solutions and policies to protect the health and safety of outdoor workers [ 21 , 22 ]. Projected future global warming conditions will dangerously affect the anticipated occupational heat stress resilience of outdoor workers worldwide. There is insufficient knowledge regarding strategies to increase occupational heat stress resilience, necessitating protective measures against heat stress and climate change to reduce health risks and fatalities for future outdoor workers in hot and humid work environments. The findings of this study can inform planning for increasing occupational heat stress resilience, developing heat acclimation strategies, and identifying risk factors to mitigate heat stress caused by global warming, particularly in middle- and low-income communities.

Search strategy

This systematic literature review was conducted following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines [ 23 ]. We searched scientific databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, and identified additional records through Google Scholar. We used Mesh terms in PubMed to identify synonyms for ‘climate change’ and ‘thermal resistance.’ We also consulted specialists to identify relevant keywords. Our search syntax was developed and applied to title, abstract, or keyword queries in selected databases. To ensure the specificity and accuracy of our search strategy, we tested the number needed to read (NNR) in the Web of Science database. We also investigated the references of included studies and searched key journals via Scopus to identify potentially relevant articles. The full search strategy in three main databases has been mentioned in Appendix 1. Our search syntax was as follows:

PubMed: (“heat wave”[tiab] OR “heat stress”[tiab] OR “climate change*”[tiab] OR (climate[tiab] AND change[tiab]) OR “extreme weather”[tiab] OR “extreme heat”[tiab] OR “global warming”[tiab] OR “hot day*”[tiab] OR “warm day*”[tiab]) AND (“heat tolerance“[tiab] OR “heat resilien*“[tiab] OR (heat[tiab] AND resilien*[tiab]) OR (heat[tiab] AND tolera*[tiab]) OR “Heat resistan*”[tiab] OR thermotolerance[tiab] OR “heat endurance”[tiab] OR (heat[tiab] AND endur*[tiab])) AND (worker*[tiab] OR Firefighter*[tiab] OR “fire fighter*”[tiab] OR firem*[tiab] OR “fire m*”[tiab] OR nurs*[tiab] OR operator*[tiab] OR driver*[tiab] OR farmer[tiab]* OR welder*[tiab] OR miner*[tiab] OR employee[tiab] OR laborer*[tiab] OR labour*[tiab]).

Inclusion criteria

The research question components (PECO) were as follows: P (workers), E (Exposure), C (heat stress), and O (increase occupational heat stress resilience). We included studies that (a) measured physiological and perceptual responses in workplaces and resting environments of workers; (b) studied working populations, including both males and females (healthy and unhealthy populations); (c) assessed the impact of climate change on occupational heat strain, as well as the health, safety, and well-being of workers including work-related variables (income, work type, time), environmental variables (wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT), relative humidity), physiological variables (heart rate, respiratory, rate of perceived exertion (RPE)), and demographic variables (age, sex, body mass index (kg/m 2 ); (d) focused on air temperature, relative humidity (RH), heat waves, solar radiation, climate change, UV radiation, and thermal stress; (e) considered local and international contexts, countries, and workplaces; and (f) investigated workers’ perceptions of climate change, occupational heat strain, and their knowledge and attitudes toward adaptation strategies.

Exclusion criteria

Studies were excluded if they (a) studied climate change-related phenomena such as storms, cyclones, rainfall, rising sea levels, and drought; (b) evaluated the impact of climate change on plants, crop yields, pest dynamics, soil processes, water availability, and animals; (c) had inaccessible full-texts; or (d) focused on indoor workplaces.

Screening and selection

We entered all identified studies into EndNote and removed duplicates. One team member (PH) screened studies based on their titles and abstracts, and two members of the research team (AH and PH) independently selected relevant studies by reviewing the full texts. Disagreements regarding study inclusion were resolved through team discussion. We also conducted searches in three key journals: environmental research, urban climate, and global environmental change, but did not identify any additional studies.

Data extraction and quality assessment

Two team members (AH and PH) independently assessed the eligibility of included studies based on our inclusion and exclusion criteria. They also evaluated the methodological quality of selected studies using the quality assessment tool for studies with diverse designs (QATSDD), which consists of 16 items and is a reliable and valid tool for assessing the methodological quality of various types of studies [ 24 ]. Any disagreements regarding study inclusion were resolved through team discussion.

Search results

The numbers of identified studies and the studies reviewed during the screening and selection stages are presented in Fig.  1 . The initial search yielded 2001 articles including the additional articles sourced from Scholar Google. After full-text assessment, 55 studies were selected for inclusion, and finally, 29 eligible papers were included for data extraction. No additional studies meeting our eligibility criteria were identified after the full-text investigation. Similarly, no studies were identified through searches of key journals and the references of included studies. Table  1 provides details on the selected studies, including author/year, study location, document type, population/sample size, climate conditions, assessment of physical, perceptual, and physiological factors, authors’ conclusions, and quality ratings. Table  2 presents suggestions for increasing and decreasing occupational heat stress resilience among outdoor workers.

Flow diagram of the screening process of included studies the strategies to increase occupational heat stress resilience among outdoor workers

Descriptive analysis

Out of the 29 selected studies, 18 addressed global warming’s impact on occupational heat stress resilience, risk management strategies, and adaptation strategies for warming conditions. Most of these studies emphasized that climate change will exacerbate the health impacts of extreme heat. The prevalence of negative effects due to climate change will intensify workers’ health risks in future work scenarios, particularly in regions with hot and humid climates and poor economic conditions. As of our selection period until 2023, 20 studies (68.96%) were published between 2016 and 2023. Of the 29 assessed papers, 18 (62.06%) directly investigated the effects of climate change and adaptation strategies for outdoor workers in various countries, including Australia, the USA, China, Japan, Africa, Korea, Slovenia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Ghana, Korea, India, Iran, and Pakistan. The predominant themes identified in these papers revolved around strategies to increase occupational heat stress resilience. In conclusion, the study’s findings were categorized into main themes, including risk factors that decrease occupational heat stress resilience and suggestions for increasing occupational heat stress resilience among outdoor workers.

Thematic content analysis

This systematic review provides a summary of evidence published to date regarding strategies to enhance occupational heat stress resilience, especially in hot outdoor workplaces. Despite variations in study design and analytical approaches, the evidence presented in this systematic review consistently highlights a strong association between thermal stress resulting from global warming and occupational heat stress. Broad findings from these studies indicate that exposure to heatwaves and global warming is linked to adverse health impacts on workers.

Furthermore, several studies underscore the need for sentinel effects and leading indicators to facilitate surveillance of climate-related occupational heat stress effects, as well as strategies and interventions for preventing the impact of climate change on outdoor workers. Finally, the review identifies interventions and adaptation strategies for outdoor workers, including the provision of accessible cool drinking water [ 13 , 26 , 41 , 44 , 47 ], optimized work-rest schedules [ 12 , 13 , 16 , 26 , 36 , 43 , 44 , 47 ], the availability of proper resting shade [ 16 , 47 , 49 ], training and awareness programs [ 20 , 38 , 40 ], self-paced work [ 13 , 38 , 40 , 44 , 47 ], and the use of supportive protective equipment [ 41 ].

Factors that reduce resilience to climate change among outdoor workers

Resilience to climate change among outdoor workers can be reduced by various factors, categorized into personal risk factors, environmental risk factors, and occupational-related heat exposure risk factors during work.

Individual-related heat exposure risk factors

Personal factors associated with reduced resilience to climate change, identifiable from outdoor workers’ data, include dehydration [ 20 , 25 , 28 , 32 , 34 , 37 , 40 , 46 , 47 , 48 ], unique medical characteristics [ 41 , 47 ], pregnancy [ 38 , 40 , 47 ], BMI [ 29 , 30 , 37 , 40 , 47 , 49 ], obesity and body fat [ 29 , 30 , 32 , 34 , 47 ], overall health status [ 33 , 34 , 37 , 47 ], lack of sleep [ 33 , 34 , 40 , 47 ], experience of a previous HRI [ 32 , 34 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ], presence of certain concurrent diseases and chronic disease [ 35 , 47 ], kidney disease [ 20 , 26 , 38 , 43 , 46 , 47 ], consumption of caffeine and alcohol [ 26 , 28 , 30 , 34 , 37 , 40 , 41 , 46 , 47 ], smoking [ 30 ], use of drugs [ 26 , 37 , 40 , 41 , 47 ], age [ 16 , 33 , 35 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 46 , 47 ], older workers with low education [ 38 , 40 , 43 , 44 , 46 , 47 ], physical fitness [ 26 , 32 , 40 , 47 ], metabolism rate [ 40 , 47 ], type of clothing [ 40 , 47 ], prior heat injury [ 40 , 46 , 47 ], physical activity and heavy workload [ 16 , 27 , 31 , 34 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 46 , 47 , 48 ], gender [ 16 , 33 , 35 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 46 , 47 ], education level [ 16 , 39 , 41 , 44 , 46 , 47 ], wearing PPE [ 16 , 26 , 27 , 31 , 38 , 39 , 44 , 46 , 47 ], and non-acclimatization [ 29 , 32 , 37 , 40 , 41 , 43 , 44 , 47 ]. Physiological risk factors most frequently expressed by outdoor workers included excessive heart rate [ 30 , 45 , 47 , 49 ], oral [ 47 , 49 ], skin [ 45 , 46 , 47 , 49 ], core temperature [ 26 , 27 , 29 , 31 , 32 , 34 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 ], sweating [ 39 , 47 ], and blood pressure [ 45 , 46 , 47 , 49 ]. This is often followed by heat exhaustion [ 47 , 48 ] or tiredness [ 47 ], headaches [ 47 ], heat rash [ 47 ], and fainting [ 47 ]. Older adults are more vulnerable to chronic dehydration [ 28 , 45 ], especially those living with multiple chronic diseases [ 43 , 47 ]. Aging is also associated with reductions in sweat production [ 8 ]. Consequently, studies have generally reported greater elevations in body heat storage and core temperature in older compared to younger adults during environmental heat exposure [ 26 , 37 , 46 , 47 ]. Additionally, personal factors correlated with occupational heat strain include the adequacy of water intake [ 41 , 47 ].

Environmental-related heat exposure risk factors

The environmental factors contributing to thermal stress include high air temperature [ 12 , 16 , 26 , 27 , 31 , 34 , 40 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 ], heat wave [ 43 , 47 , 48 ], airspeed and movement around the workplace [ 16 , 43 , 45 , 47 , 48 , 49 ], high levels of heat exposure (WBGT = 37.5–49 ℃) [ 38 , 46 , 47 ], tropical nights [ 48 ], working in sun- exposed conditions [ 16 , 38 , 39 , 47 ], solar radiation [ 26 , 40 , 43 , 46 , 47 , 48 ], high humidity [ 16 , 27 , 31 , 34 , 40 , 43 , 45 , 47 , 48 , 49 ], UV radiation [ 26 , 47 , 48 , 49 ], the moisture content of the outdoor settings or workplaces [ 16 , 39 ], radiant heat [ 16 , 26 , 31 , 36 , 45 , 47 , 48 ], and the air-pollution index [ 30 ].

Occupational-related heat exposure risk factors

However, workers encounter various barriers, such as inadequate cool housing designs for rest [ 38 ], a lack of management and engineering commitment [ 41 , 42 , 47 ], heavy physical workloads for long hours [ 16 , 47 ] or physically demanding jobs [ 44 , 46 ], insufficient awareness and prevention training [ 38 , 40 , 41 , 43 , 47 ], a lack of knowledge regarding adaptive behavior [ 41 , 43 ], the absence of occupational heat stress guidelines and adaptation strategies [ 38 , 41 , 46 , 47 ], a lack of regular training on adaptation measures [ 41 ], limited management commitment [ 41 ], the nature of the physical workload [ 16 , 40 , 41 , 46 , 47 ], the absence of specific thermal stress-related policy regulations [ 41 ], working in proximity to heat sources [ 16 , 44 , 47 ], the type of protective clothing [ 16 , 40 , 47 ], limited access to innovative technology and equipment [ 41 ], the nature of the work [ 40 , 41 , 46 , 47 ], inadequate management commitment, work-break regimes [ 43 , 47 ] and cooling systems [ 26 , 28 , 40 , 41 , 47 , 48 ]. Additionally, workers face challenges such as inadequate knowledge of adaptive behavior [ 41 , 46 ], a lack of regular training on thermal stress risk, adaptation, and safety measures [ 41 , 47 ], a deficiency in specific heat-related policies and regulations [ 41 ], limited management commitment to heat-related health and safety measures [ 41 ], restricted access to innovative equipment and technology [ 41 ], insufficient regular breaks and work-rest time [ 35 , 39 , 41 , 46 , 47 ], limited access to shade [ 38 , 43 , 47 ], inadequate financial resources [ 38 , 41 ], the absence of an acclimatization program [ 41 , 43 , 47 ], suboptimal water management [ 47 ], and insufficient medical attention when implementing adaptation strategies for climate change and occupational heat stress.

Factors that enhance resilience to climate change among outdoor workers

Enhanced resilience to climate change can be achieved through various means, including personal, managerial, and engineering protective factors.

Personal protective factors

Outdoor workers can take several measures to protect themselves. They should consider adjusting their work schedule [ 35 , 47 ], maintaining adequate hydration [ 28 , 33 , 35 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 47 ], adjusting their clothing [ 31 , 35 , 47 ], drinking more water [ 35 ] or drinking plenty of cool water frequently before feeling thirsty [ 13 , 26 , 41 , 44 , 47 ]. It’s important to take more frequent planned breaks [ 35 , 38 , 44 ], wear broad-brimmed hats [ 35 , 39 , 41 , 47 ] and ventilated helmets [ 28 ], understand how to self-pace [ 13 , 38 , 40 , 44 , 47 ], wear sun-protective gear [ 38 , 49 ], including sunglasses and gloves during hot weather conditions [ 41 ], and take work breaks and rest in cooler or shaded areas [ 13 , 28 , 33 , 35 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 43 , 44 , 47 ]. Using sunblock [ 38 , 39 , 44 ], and having a higher education level [ 39 , 44 , 47 ], are also beneficial. Workers should consider wearing loose and light-colored clothing [ 28 , 34 , 35 , 38 , 39 , 41 , 44 ] and opting for short-sleeved shirts and shorts when possible [ 13 ]. Using cooling vests [ 27 , 47 ], implementing a ‘Buddy system’ [ 47 ], acclimatization [ 26 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 36 , 37 , 40 , 47 ], maintaining normal anthropometric measures [ 29 ], and changing clothing ensembles to more breathable single-layer garments [ 43 ] can further enhance personal protection.

Managerial protective factors

Maintaining good quality working conditions and a suitable climate can significantly improve worker performance, productivity, and company profits [ 37 ]. Workplace management and training programs [ 16 , 35 , 38 , 40 , 41 , 47 , 49 ] are crucial for worker well-being. Developing prevention strategies [ 12 , 13 , 38 , 48 ], improving guidelines for worker safety, health, and productivity, and adhering to occupational health standards [ 12 , 38 , 47 ] are essential. Scheduling heavy routine outdoor work during the early morning [ 47 ] or evening hours or in shaded areas [ 13 , 41 , 44 , 49 ] can help mitigate heat stress. Providing access to cooling systems, such as air conditioning and fans [ 13 , 16 , 26 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 44 , 47 ], and offering climate change adaptation strategies [ 13 , 48 , 49 ] are beneficial. Adjusting the duration of breaks/rest periods [ 12 , 13 , 16 , 26 , 36 , 43 , 44 , 47 ], ensuring access to shade [ 16 , 47 , 49 ], and providing access to drinking water or implementing programs to improve hydration status [ 13 , 16 , 20 , 25 , 44 , 47 , 49 ] are important managerial measures. Training workers in heat-related illness prevention [ 20 , 38 , 40 ], providing access to medical attention [ 20 ], sharing heavier jobs and rotating job assignments on shift schedules [ 13 , 41 , 47 , 49 ], offering air-conditioned vehicles [ 13 , 38 , 47 ], promoting climate change awareness to support healthy lives and decent jobs [ 39 ], implementing work stoppages if the daily maximum temperature exceeds 40 °C [ 13 , 44 , 47 ], raising worker awareness about heat risks [ 47 ] modifying work habits [ 49 ], considering the TWL [ 30 ], and promoting the understanding of the need for workers to self-pace during hot weather [ 13 , 38 , 47 ] are all valuable managerial protective factors.

Engineering protective factors

Providing and designing regular breaks in shaded areas [ 38 , 47 ], implementing strategies to eliminate or replace thermal stress risks [ 37 , 44 ], installing a central cooling system [ 13 , 44 , 47 ], halting work during periods of high thermal stress and supplying mechanical equipment [ 41 , 47 ], initiating heat-shield projects [ 47 ], and enhancing ventilation [ 38 , 39 , 44 , 47 ].

Our systematic review’s outcomes help us understand strategies for increasing occupational heat stress resilience and assessing the effects of global warming on outdoor workers’ adaptation strategies. This is particularly crucial in numerous warm workplaces, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The implementation of strategies to ensure adequate hydration, including access to drinking water and programs to improve hydration status [ 13 , 16 , 20 , 25 , 44 , 47 , 49 ], is one of the most critical interventions for managing warm workplaces. Hydrated workers [ 28 , 33 , 35 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 47 ] are more likely to maintain an acceptable work rate and physical activity without health risks in various hot-dry and hot-humid weather conditions [ 25 ]. Employers bear the responsibility of providing a safe work environment, conducting training and awareness programs [ 16 , 35 , 38 , 40 , 41 , 47 , 49 ], supervision [ 50 ], and providing suitable protective equipment to mitigate the negative effects of thermal stress due to global warming on safety and health [ 26 , 49 ]. Cooling the core body temperature through wearable liquid cooling garments (SCG) [ 27 ], evaporative cooling garments (ECGs) [ 15 ], fluid cooling garments (FCGs) [ 51 ], hybrid cooling (HBCGs) [ 52 ], and phase change materials (PCMs) [ 53 ] worn by individuals who require personal protective equipment [ 47 , 54 ], including firefighters and construction workers, significantly reduces occupational heat strain and enhances thermal comfort and performance [ 32 ]. Chan et al. recommend implementing appropriate protective measures, such as work-rest schedules and heat tolerance guidelines, to ensure the safety and health of personnel exposed to hot weather conditions [ 28 ]. Therefore, it’s advisable to conduct further research on work-rest schedule optimization models for workers, particularly in the context of construction workers [ 28 ]. It is recommended that safe work durations should be modified based on expected type of clothing and work intensity [ 55 ]. Our review’s results indicate that personal risk factors such as dehydration [ 20 , 25 , 28 , 32 , 34 , 37 , 40 , 46 , 47 , 48 ], smoking [ 30 ] and alcohol-drinking habits [ 26 , 28 , 30 , 34 , 37 , 40 , 41 , 46 , 47 ], age [ 16 , 33 , 35 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 46 , 47 ], BMI [ 29 , 30 , 37 , 40 , 47 , 49 ], and non-acclimatization [ 29 , 32 , 37 , 40 , 41 , 43 , 44 , 47 ]; as well as work-related factors like work-rest cycles [ 35 , 39 , 41 , 46 , 47 ] and environmental risk factors such as air temperature [ 12 , 16 , 26 , 27 , 31 , 34 , 40 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 ], relative humidity (RH) [ 16 , 27 , 31 , 34 , 40 , 43 , 45 , 47 , 48 , 49 ], heat radiant [ 16 , 26 , 31 , 36 , 45 , 47 , 48 ], and Thermal Work Limit (TWL) [ 30 ], are significant predictors for determining the physiological responses to HRI among outdoor workers [ 30 ]. More efforts should be made to educate workers and employers about the effects of occupational heat stress on safety, health and performance, and appropriate screening protocols (pre-employment and periodic examinations) should be included in health and safety legislation [ 56 ].

Educating outdoor workers about physiological and perceptual responses to HRI [ 20 , 38 , 40 ] and heat acclimation under uncompensated thermal stress [ 26 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 36 , 37 , 40 , 47 ], as well as emphasizing cooling techniques and fluid intake [ 28 , 33 , 35 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 47 ], is essential. Furthermore, it’s necessary to investigate the impact of gender (both women and men) [ 16 , 33 , 35 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 46 , 47 ] and aging on heat tolerance and psychophysiological adaptation during work in hot-dry and hot-humid environmental conditions. This is especially crucial since elderly workers [ 38 , 40 , 43 , 44 , 46 , 47 ] display increased susceptibility to HRI in future studies, even if they haven’t engaged in prolonged or strenuous physical labor [ 31 ]. Pogačar et al.‘s study revealed that the most common symptoms of heat stress include excessive sweating, thirst, and fatigue. Interestingly, there was a significant difference among age groups regarding thirst and excessive sweating [ 35 ]. Gender differences in temperature regulation become more apparent under varying heat loads [ 8 ]. In general, women lose more heat through convection [ 11 ], which is advantageous in hot-humid environments [ 57 ], while men lose more heat through evaporation, which is more pronounced in hot-dry environments [ 58 ]. The resilience of vulnerable worker groups to heat stress can be compromised despite existing standards and knowledge. This vulnerability is particularly relevant when considering outdoor workers exposed to different climate conditions in tropical and subtropical countries [ 12 , 38 , 47 ]. Kjellstrom et al.‘s study underscores that mine workers remain the most significant population in terms of preventing the impact of thermal stress. This also extends to many construction workers, agricultural workers, and individuals laboring in warm workplaces without effective cooling systems [ 20 ]. Lui et al. demonstrated that wildland firefighters experience heat acclimatization across the thermal stress and fire season, leading to significant decreases in physiological and perceptual responses. These adaptations can reduce the risk of HRI [ 32 ]. Implementing acclimatization [ 26 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 36 , 37 , 40 , 47 ] and adaptation programms [ 13 , 48 , 49 ] for workers exposed to thermal stress is crucial. Adaptation policies aim to increase climate change resilience and reduce climate vulnerability [ 48 ]. Managers and occupational health professionals should also assess workers’ health status and individual habits, such as sleep deprivation [ 33 , 34 , 40 , 47 ], dehydration, and alcohol consumption before work [ 34 ]. International agencies have proposed various climate change adaptation and prevention strategies, including conducting training and awareness programs, using cooling mechanisms [ 13 , 16 , 26 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 44 , 47 ], and ensuring the availability of cool drinking water [ 13 , 16 , 20 , 25 , 44 , 47 , 49 ]. The most effective solutions at mitigating occupational heat strain were heat acclimation [ 26 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 36 , 37 , 40 , 47 ], wearing specialized cooling garments [ 27 , 47 ], cold water immersion [ 59 ], improving aerobic fitness [ 15 ], and applying ventilation [ 49 ]. Extending the exposure time to thermal stress leads to an increase in core body temperature and dehydration levels [ 60 ]. Acclimatized workers, with beneficial physiological adaptations like an efficient sweating system, lower heart rate, and core body temperature, can tolerate higher levels of dehydration and lose more water through sweat per shift. This means that the maximum allowable exposure time is greater for acclimatized workers compared to non-acclimatized workers [ 38 , 42 , 47 ]. Venugopal et al. demonstrated a strong correlation between physical workload, thermal stress exposures, Heat Strain Indicators (HSIs), and HRIs, leading to adverse health outcomes among outdoor workers [ 46 ]. There is a pressing need for evidence-based reviews and interventions to prevent occupational heat stress and enhance comprehensive resilience labor policies for outdoor workers in low and middle-income countries as climate change progresses. Increased awareness and consciousness among workers can lead to better adaptability to climate change risks [ 31 ]. Workers often implement conscious and flexible behavioral attitudes to manage their heat stress, especially in extremely hot workplaces, such as outdoor work [ 49 ]. Understanding the relationship between endurance time and WBGT values is crucial for training workers in very hot environments and ensuring their health and safety [ 43 ]. Elevated carbon emissions in the atmosphere contribute to extremely hot environments and climate changes, exacerbating occupational heat strains for outdoor workers [ 61 ]. A high-quality air and work environment can enhance worker safety, health, productivity, and company profitability [ 37 , 49 ]. Sustainable adaptation to warming climatic conditions [ 13 ] and social protection strategies during exposure to occupational heat stress depend on the availability of financial resources and collaborative efforts to overcome adaptation barriers [ 48 ]. The severity of occupational heat stress caused by climate change depends on workers’ sensitivity and vulnerability to different weather conditions. Additionally, the extent of adaptation capacity and resilience planning plays a crucial role [ 33 , 38 ]. Also, establishing a program that can assess how thermal stress due to climate change may increase heat-related effects on outdoor workers and document future heat-related events leading to relevant occupational health and safety regulations, seems essential [ 15 ].

The HEAT-SHIELD project is a customized occupational heat stress-related warning system that provides short- and long-term heat warnings to safeguard workers’ health and productivity. This project represents a useful adaptation strategy aimed at protecting workers, particularly those exposed to the effects of climate change [ 55 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 ].

The findings of this study are valuable for policymakers and professionals in the field of occupational health. They can use this information to develop guidelines and regulations aimed at preventing occupational heat stress and strengthening the resilience of outdoor workers during exposure to heat stress caused by climate change. However, it’s important to note that developing countries face a higher risk of negative occupational health outcomes compared to developed countries due to their lower adaptive capacity [ 46 ], increased poverty, and insufficient technological progress to combat climate change-induced temperature increases [ 6 , 47 ]. Outdoor workers often lack awareness of heat-related risks and HRI due to global warming [ 67 , 68 ]. Therefore, there is a critical need to raise awareness of heat-related hazards, bolster heat stress education, and update existing heat prevention measures. This includes optimizing current heat-related laws and adaptation policies to ensure effective implementation and compliance, especially in hot-dry and hot-humid work environments, particularly in low-middle-income countries [ 44 , 48 ]. Studies of this nature are essential among workers in these countries to provide health professionals and senior managers with the necessary knowledge to inform occupational heat stress adaptation policies, social protection measures, and resilience strategies for sustainable development.

Limitations

One limitation of this systematic review was the limited focus on female workers. Consequently, the results may not accurately represent the perspectives of women working outdoors, which is an important demographic to consider. Another significant limitation of this study is its heavy reliance on cross-sectional and experimental studies. Incorporating clinical aspects into data collection could greatly enhance and advance occupational health interventions. Furthermore, there is an evident scarcity of research exploring the social dimensions and the broader effects of occupational heat stress. Additionally, there is insufficient investigation into the adaptation strategies employed by workers in the context of increasing thermal stress and climate change, particularly in tropical and subtropical countries. These research gaps highlight the need for further studies to provide a more comprehensive understanding of this critical occupational health issue.

Addressing the health risks associated with occupational thermal stress among outdoor workers requires a multi-level approach that includes standard procedures and safety interventions. Currently, there is a lack of formal guidelines for outdoor workers, and most advisory systems do not adequately support this workforce in implementing solutions to mitigate occupational heat stress and enhance climate change resilience. While many workers acknowledge the importance of increased hydration and clothing adjustments during hot-dry and hot-humid climate conditions, a smaller proportion attempt to modify the nature of their work or seek rest in cooler areas. It is crucial to recognize that occupational heat stress remains a prevalent issue among these populations. To address these challenges, we recommend conducting further research to enhance our understanding of strategies aimed at bolstering the resilience of outdoor workers against heat stress resulting from climate change. This research should encompass diverse fields such as medicine, climatology, occupational health, and epidemiology. Additionally, there is a need to improve information dissemination, develop relevant regulations, and implement protective strategies among outdoor workers. These efforts will aid in identifying and preventing heat stress-related policies, including mitigation and adaptation measures.

Data availability

The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on request.

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Peymaneh Habibi & Farank Mahdavi

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Habibi, P., Razmjouei, J., Moradi, A. et al. Climate change and heat stress resilient outdoor workers: findings from systematic literature review. BMC Public Health 24 , 1711 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-19212-3

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