The Climate's Breaking Point: Coral Bleaching, Heatwaves, and a Warming World - Lethal Heating Editor BDA

The world’s climate is entering a more dangerous and less predictable phase. 

Three powerful and interconnected issues—an unprecedented global coral bleaching event, alarming new research on abrupt temperature swings, and record-shattering heatwaves across South Asia—have captured the world's attention, each revealing the intensifying effects of human-driven climate change.

First, Earth's coral reefs are enduring what scientists are calling the most extensive bleaching event in recorded history. Between 2023 and 2025, around 84% of coral reef ecosystems have suffered significant bleaching, according to new data¹. 

Fueled by higher-than-normal ocean temperatures, this crisis is decimating critical marine ecosystems that support biodiversity, coastal protection, and millions of livelihoods. 

Coral bleaching occurs when stressed corals expel the algae that provide them with energy and colour, leaving them ghostly white and vulnerable to death. While bleaching events have happened before, the scale, duration, and severity of this episode mark a terrifying new chapter.

Abrupt temperature swings

Meanwhile, a groundbreaking study published this week in Nature Communications has revealed that abrupt temperature swings—where conditions flip dramatically from extreme heat to extreme cold—have been happening far more often and are projected to worsen as the planet continues to warm². 

Analyzing six decades of weather records, researchers found that more than 60% of the Earth's surface has experienced increased volatility between 1961 and 2023. 

Factors such as the waviness of the jet stream, intensified evaporation, and changing soil moisture levels are making temperature transitions sharper and less predictable. These violent swings are particularly threatening for agriculture, public health, and infrastructure, as populations have less time to adapt to the sudden changes.

Growing climate instability

This theory of growing climate instability has a tragic, real-world manifestation: the brutal April 2025 heatwave that scorched India and Pakistan. 

Temperatures in Pakistan's Sindh province neared 49°C (120°F), while New Delhi sweltered under a relentless 40°C (104°F) heat³. A recent analysis from the ClimaMeter group concluded that this particular heatwave was made up to 4°C hotter than similar events would have been before 1987, attributing the majority of this intensification to human-caused global warming. 

Natural variability, the study found, played only a minor role. For millions living across South Asia—where limited access to air conditioning and clean water is a daily reality—the difference between a survivable heatwave and a deadly one is measured in single degrees.

What ties these stories together is not just their extremity, but their speed. 

The climate is lurching

The climate is not simply changing—it's lurching. From coral reefs dying en masse to farmers watching crops fail in days rather than weeks, the rhythms of the natural world are accelerating toward disruption faster than models predicted.

And yet, amid the chaos, there are signs of hope. 

New energy solutions are scaling up. Global emissions, though still dangerously high, have begun to flatten in some regions⁴. Climate movements are winning stronger environmental protections. 

Feedback loops

However, scientists warn that without rapid and sustained action—especially by the world's largest economies—the tipping points we are now seeing could cascade into feedback loops too large to control.

April 2025 may be remembered not just as another grim month of climate news, but as a call to confront a stark choice: intensify our mitigation efforts or prepare for a world increasingly shaped by irreversible extremes.

Footnotes

1. "2023–2025 global coral bleaching event" - Wikipedia
2. "Sudden flips from hot to cold temperature come with climate change, says study" - Financial Times
3. "Climate change largely responsible for April 2025 heatwave in India and Pakistan, study finds" - Climate Fact Checks
4. "5 ways we're making progress on climate change" - Vox

The Climate Pope: How Francis Became a Global Voice for the Planet - Lethal Heating Editor BDA

When Pope Francis stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in 2013, few could have predicted that this Argentinian Jesuit would become one of the world’s most influential voices on climate change. 

But over the past decade, Francis had done exactly that—positioning the Catholic Church not only as a spiritual authority but as a force for environmental justice.

📜 Laudato Si’ — A Wake-Up Call to the World

In 2015, the pope released a groundbreaking encyclical called Laudato Si’, or “Praise Be to You". It was more than a religious document—it was a bold and beautifully written plea to humanity to care for “our common home”.

Francis didn’t mince words: environmental destruction is a moral crisis, and the poor—who contribute least to climate change—are suffering the most because of it.

“The destruction of the environment is an offense against God, a sin that endangers all human beings, especially the most vulnerable.”
Source: Laudato Si’ Action Platform

🌐 Influence Beyond the Church

Francis’s message struck a chord beyond Catholic circles. His voice carried into United Nations halls and global climate conferences. Some analysts believe his leadership helped sway public and political opinion in favour of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.

He even invited oil executives to the Vatican, urging them to transition toward sustainable energy. In 2023, he addressed the COP28 climate summit and reminded world leaders that the clock is ticking:

“The future of us all depends on the present that we now choose.”
Source: Vatican News

🔄 Laudate Deum: A Follow-Up with Urgency

Eight years after Laudato Si’, Pope Francis doubled down with another powerful statement: Laudate Deum, released in 2023. This time, he focused even more directly on human-caused climate change and the systemic barriers that prevent real action.

He called out the failures of international summits and demanded real accountability—not just more words:

“We are in the same boat… but some of us are steering it, and others are bailing water.”
Source: Vatican.va

🙏 A Legacy Rooted in Care

What makes Pope Francis’s approach unique is how he connects the dots between faith, science, social justice, and environmental responsibility. He’s not just saying “plant trees”—he’s saying our spiritual health is tied to the health of the Earth and its people.

As climate threats grow more urgent, Pope Francis has become a rare voice of moral clarity. And even as questions about his eventual successor loom, his message is clear: caring for the planet isn’t optional—it’s sacred.

Links

• TIME: The Climate Pope and His Environmental Legacy
• The Guardian: Pope Francis Hailed as a Global Champion on Climate  
• The Climate Pope: Francis and His Environmental Legacy
• Pope Francis' Message to COP28 - Laudato Si' Action Platform
• Pope Francis to COP28: 'Choose life, choose the future!'

The Heat Is On: How Climate Change Is Stealing Australia’s Endangered Wildlife - Lethal Heating Editor BDA

A koala clings to a charred gum tree. Smoke lingers in the air. Below, the forest floor is blackened and bare.

It’s not a memory — it’s the new normal.

🔥 Climate Change Is No Longer a Future Threat

Australia’s unique wildlife is under siege. Climate change is no longer a distant danger. It’s the top threat facing our endangered species today.

From koalas to coral reefs, animals across the country are battling extreme heat, rising seas, megafires, and shifting seasons. Many are losing.

More than 1,800 Australian species are officially listed as threatened. According to the State of the Environment Report 2021, climate change now impacts every ecosystem.

🐨 Koalas Are Burning

Once considered safe, koalas are now endangered in Queensland, New South Wales, and the ACT.

Their forests are drying out. Bushfires are becoming more intense. Food trees are dying from drought or heat stress. And koalas, slow to adapt or move, are being left behind.

“Climate change amplifies every existing threat,” says Dr. Sarah Bekessy of RMIT University. “It’s the firestarter, the floodgate, the heatwave.”

🪸 The Great Barrier Reef Is Dying Fast

In the oceans, rising temperatures are wreaking havoc.

Marine heatwaves have killed off half the Great Barrier Reef’s corals since the mid-1990s. Mass bleaching events in 2016, 2017, and 2020 turned huge sections ghost white.

Corals rely on algae for nutrients and colour. When waters heat up, corals expel this algae — and often die within weeks.

“The reef is the rainforest of the sea,” says Professor Terry Hughes of James Cook University. “When it dies, everything suffers.”

Thousands of marine species depend on reefs. From clownfish to sea turtles, extinction risk ripples outward.

🐸 Frogs, Birds, and Wetlands on the Edge

It’s not just iconic animals in trouble. Entire ecosystems are fraying.

The critically endangered northern corroboree frog, native to the alpine bogs of southeastern Australia, needs cold, wet winters to breed. But snow is melting earlier. Bogs are drying. Eggs are dying.

The eastern curlew, a migratory shorebird, is losing its feeding grounds. Rising sea levels and coastal development are wiping out its wetlands.

In the Kakadu wetlands, saltwater intrusion is killing freshwater plants. Saltwater crocodiles are thriving — but fish, birds, and turtles are disappearing.

⏳ Science Is Clear — And the Clock Is Ticking

A 2020 study in Nature Climate Change found that one in six species could vanish worldwide if global temperatures rise beyond 2°C.

Australia is especially vulnerable. Our ecosystems are isolated and often fragile. Even small shifts in temperature or rainfall can cause population collapse.

💸 Action Is Possible — But Underfunded

Despite the urgency, funding remains patchy.

The Australian Conservation Foundation revealed that recovery funding for threatened species fell by 39% between 2013 and 2018.

Only 39 of Australia’s top 100 endangered species have fully funded recovery plans.

“You can’t save species without tackling climate change,” says Darren Grover of WWF Australia. “We need emissions cuts and on-the-ground recovery — fast.”

🌿 Hope Is Not Lost

There are signs of progress.

• Bushfire recovery grants have helped restore habitats.

• Wildlife corridors are reconnecting fragmented forests.

• Indigenous land management is reintroducing traditional burning and conservation methods.

• Grassroots communities are planting native trees and cleaning up coasts.

The federal government has even pledged “zero extinctions” in national parks — a bold goal, if backed by action.

🌏 We Have the Knowledge. We Need the Will.

Climate change is not tomorrow’s threat. It’s today’s reality.

Every delay costs more species. More forests. More reef. More future.

If we act now — and act boldly — we can still protect what makes Australia wild and wonderful.

But the window is closing. Fast.

Links

• General Climate Threats to Australian Wildlife
• Climate change threatens one in six species, study finds
• Koalas listed as endangered across eastern Australia
• WWF: Koalas could be extinct in NSW by 2050
• Half of Great Barrier Reef’s corals dead since 1995
• Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2019
• Climate change threatens alpine frogs
• Sea level rise and eastern curlew habitat loss
• Funding cuts for threatened species recovery 
• Only a third of recovery plans fully funded

What would change your mind about climate change? We asked 5,000 Australians – here’s what they told us

LOOKSLIKEPHOTO/Shutterstock

The Conversation - Kelly Kirkland  Abby Robinson  Amy S G Lee  Samantha Stanley  Zoe Leviston

AUTHORS • Kelly Kirkland   Research Fellow in Psychology   The University of Queensland • Abby Robinson   PhD candidate in Social Psychology   The University of Melbourne • Amy S G Lee   PhD Candidate in Social Psychology   The University of Melbourne • Samantha Stanley   Research Fellow in Social Psychology   UNSW Sydney • Zoe Leviston   Research Fellow in Social Psychology   Australian National University

Australia just sweltered through one of its hottest summers on record, and heat has pushed well into autumn. 

 

Once-in-a-generation floods are now striking with alarming regularity. 

As disasters escalate, insurers are warning some properties may soon be uninsurable. Yet, despite these escalating disasters — and a federal election looming — conversation around climate change remains deeply polarising.

But are people’s minds really made up? Or are they still open to change?

In research out today, we asked more than 5,000 Australians a simple question: what would change your mind about climate change? Their answers reveal both a warning and an opportunity.

Recent floods in western Queensland devastated graziers and remote towns such as Thargomindah. Bulloo Shire Council/AAP

On climate, Australians fall into six groups

Almost two thirds (64%) of Australians are concerned about the impact of climate change, according to a recent survey.

But drill deeper, and we quickly find Australians hold quite different views on climate. In fact, research in 2022 showed Australians can be sorted into six distinct groups based on how concerned and engaged they are with the issue.

At one end was the Alarmed group – highly concerned people who are convinced of the science, and already taking action (25% of Australians). At the other end was the Dismissive group (7%) – strongly sceptical people who often view climate change as exaggerated or even a hoax. In between were the Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged and Doubtful – groups who varied in belief, awareness and willingness to engage.

In our nationally representative survey, we asked every participant what might change their opinion about climate change? We then looked at how the answers differed between the six groups.

For those already convinced climate change is real and human-caused, we wanted to know what might make them doubt it. For sceptical participants, we wanted to know what might persuade them otherwise. In short, we weren’t testing who was “right” or “wrong” – we were mapping how flexible their opinions were.

Our views aren’t set in stone

People at both extremes – Alarmed and Dismissive – were the most likely to say “nothing” would change their minds. Nearly half the Dismissive respondents flat-out rejected the premise. But these two groups together make up just one in three Australians.

What about everyone in the middle ground? The rest – the Concerned (28%), Cautious (23%), Disengaged (3%) and Doubtful (14%) – showed much more openness. They matter most, because they’re the majority — and they’re still listening.

People with dismissive views of climate science are a small minority. jon lyall/Shutterstock

What information would change minds?

What would it take for people to be convinced? We identified four major themes: evidence and information, trusted sources, action being undertaken, and nothing.

The most common response was a desire for better evidence and information. But not just any facts would do. Participants said they wanted clear, plain-English explanations rather than jargon. They wanted statistics they could trust, and science that didn’t feel politicised or agenda-driven. Some said they’d be more convinced if they saw the impacts with their own eyes.

Crucially, many in the Doubtful and Cautious groups didn’t outright reject climate change – they just didn’t feel confident enough to judge the evidence.

The trust gap

Many respondents didn’t know who to believe on climate change. Scientists and independent experts were the most commonly mentioned trusted sources – but trust in these sources wasn’t universal.

Some Australians, especially in the more sceptical segments, expressed deep distrust toward the media, governments and the scientific community. Others said they’d be more receptive if information came from unbiased or apolitical sources. For some respondents, family, friends and everyday people were seen as more credible than institutions.

In an age of widespread misinformation, this matters. If we want to build support for climate action, we need the right messengers as much as the right message.

What about action?

Many respondents said their views could shift if they saw real, meaningful action – especially from governments and big business. Some wanted proof that Australia is taking climate change seriously. Others said action would offer hope or reduce their anxiety.

Even some sceptical respondents said coordinated, global action might persuade them – though they were often cynical about Australia’s impact compared to larger emitters. Others called for a more respectful, depoliticised conversation around climate.

In other words, for many Australians, it’s not just what evidence and information is presented about climate change. It’s also how it’s said, who says it, and why it’s being said.

Of course, the responses we gathered reflect what people say would change their minds. That’s not necessarily what would actually change their minds.

What does concrete evidence of climate action look like? Piyaset/Shutterstock

Why does this matter?

As climate change intensifies, so does misinformation — especially online, where artificial intelligence and social media accelerate its spread.

Misinformation has a corrosive effect. Spreading doubt, lies and uncertainty can erode public support for climate action.

If we don’t understand what Australians actually need to hear about climate change – and who they need to hear it from – we risk losing ground to confusion and doubt.

After years of growth from 2012 to 2019, Australian backing for climate action is fluctuating and even dropping, according to Lowy Institute polling.

Climate change may not be the headline issue in this federal election campaign. But it’s on the ballot nonetheless, embedded in debates over how to power Australia, jobs and the cost of living. If we want public support for meaningful climate action, we can’t just shout louder. We have to speak smarter.

Links

• Political & Election Polling Company Australia
• Australian Polling Council - Wikipedia
• YouGov Australia /Research Reality
• Lowy Institute Poll 2025 Preview Australian Polling Council
• The Ipsos Issues Monitor
• Australian Polling Council
• Pyxis Polling & InsightsOpens in a new window
• YouGov

GLOBAL: Climate Change April Review - Lethal Heating Editor BDA

Escalating Climate Impacts

• India-Pakistan Heatwave: An unprecedented early-season heatwave has gripped the Indian subcontinent, with temperatures soaring to 46.4°C in Barmer, Rajasthan.
The extreme heat has led to power outages, agricultural disruptions, and at least 19 fatalities due to associated storms.
Experts warn that such events may become more frequent and severe due to climate change. ​Link

• Intensifying Rainstorms in New Orleans: Recent data indicate that rainstorms in New Orleans are becoming more intense, exemplified by a recent event dumping over six inches of rain in parts of the metro area.
This trend is attributed to human-driven climate change, which leads to warmer air capable of holding more moisture, resulting in heavier precipitation events. ​Link ​

Climate Innovation & Controversy

• UK Geoengineering Trials: UK scientists, backed by £50 million from the government-funded Advanced Research and Invention Agency (Aria), are initiating small-scale outdoor geoengineering experiments.
These trials aim to test solar radiation management technologies, such as cloud brightening, to temporarily cool the planet.
While controversial, proponents argue that such research is essential given the urgency of climate tipping points. ​Link

• Air Source Heat Pump Viability: A recent study at Energy House 2.0, a climate simulation lab at the University of Salford, tested whether air source heat pumps can provide sufficient hot water for a typical family, even on cold days.
The findings suggest that, with proper installation, these systems can effectively replace gas boilers without sacrificing comfort. ​Link

Public Sentiment & Accountability

• Global Support for Climate Action: A global study involving 130,000 people across 125 countries reveals that 89% of the world's population wants stronger governmental action to combat climate change.
However, many individuals incorrectly believe they are in the minority, creating a "spiral of silence" that hinders collective mobilisation. ​Link

• Law Firms' Fossil Fuel Involvement: Major law firms in London, including the prestigious Magic Circle members, have come under fire for their involvement in fossil fuel transactions despite promoting climate sustainability.
Critics argue that this dual approach is hypocritical and has substantial environmental consequences. ​Link

Key Climate Events in 2025

• COP30 in Brazil: The 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) is scheduled to take place from November 10-21 in Belém, Brazil.
The conference will focus on climate finance, mitigation, nature protection, climate justice, and plastic pollution. ​Link

• GLF Forests 2025: Scheduled for April 24-25 in Bonn, Germany, and online, this event aims to define the next decade of action for forest conservation and climate resilience. ​Link

Australia: Climate Litigation & Extreme Weather

• Australia's Climate Challenges: Australia continues to experience extreme heat, with Townsville Airport recording its wettest year on record.
Additionally, the country has emerged as a global hotspot for climate change litigation, reflecting growing public demand for accountability and action. ​Link

More Reading

• VIDEO: Data reveals which areas in Australia face an escalated risk of climate change
  
• Santos wins final approval for Barossa gas project as environment advocates condemn ‘climate bomb’
• Trade unionists, conservationists and church groups unite against Dutton’s nuclear plan
• Prime minister says Australia will bid to co-host 2026 UN climate change meeting
• Climate Change – Science Snapshot 2025: An Overview for Australian Directors
• Activate climate’s ‘silent majority’ to supercharge action, experts say
• UK scientists to launch outdoor geoengineering experiments

Fire tornadoes becoming routine due to climate change, analysts say

ABC Ballarat - Laura Mayers

John King captured this footage 50 metres from his back door during the Grampians bushfire. Supplied: John King

SUMMARY Fire analysts say once-theoretical fire behaviour is now becoming routine, including fire tornadoes. John King captured a 100-metre-tall fire column only 50 metres from his back door during the Grampians bushfire in December. Unusual fire behaviour was also seen in the Los Angeles fires in January.

John King was ready for the 2024 bushfire season.

Living on the fringes of western Victoria's Gariwerd/Grampians National Park, the CFA volunteer knew the importance of having a fire plan in place, as well as hoses and water tanks.

But Mr King was not prepared for a fire column spearing 100 metres in the air, only 50m from his back door.

"We had these willy willies [whirlwinds] going four or five times the height of some of the trees," he said.

Mr King began filming the awesome sight as it spiralled through the hot air, picking up speed, the heat of the blaze gathering a swirling column before dissolving into smoke.

He described it as "magnificent, in a strange way".

"It wasn't coming towards us, so to be honest, at the time I just felt a bit awe-inspired by it," Mr King said.

"It was an incredible sight."

John King captured the flame tornado only 50 metres from his back door. ABC Ballarat: Laura Mayers

The unusual natural phenomenon was captured during the height of bushfires sparked by dry lightning in December 2024 that raged for months and burnt through more than 136,000 hectares of bushland.

Once a myth, now reality

Fire analysts say unusual fire behaviours like tornadoes were once considered a myth, but may start to become more commonplace. 

Mr King says he was lucky he didn't lose any structures after the fast-moving bushfire went through his property. Supplied: John King

University of Tasmania professor of pyrogeography and fire science David Bowman said fire tornadoes were the flame equivalent of a water spout or dust devil.

"There are examples ... where you can actually see fire trucks being thrown around in these intense systems," Professor Bowman said.

"In really humungous fires you can get true tornadoes where they even have an eye and extraordinarily powerful winds."

The bushfire claimed parts of Mr King's fenceline on the boundaries of his property. Supplied: John King

A fire tornado, sometimes called a fire whirl, is created during strong wildfires energised by powerful winds, dry fuel and intense heat.

In the Los Angeles fire in January, which claimed the lives of 30 people and destroyed more than 150 square kilometres of homes and bushland, the "perfect" conditions led to the unusual fire behaviour.

The fires tore through the Grampians National Park and Mount William and Redman Bluff after being sparked by dry lightning. Supplied: John King

Professor Bowman said higher temperatures and climate change were fuelling droughts that were in turn leading to incredibly fast-moving fires that released large amounts of energy.

Fire tornadoes were seen along the fire front at Bullsbrook in Perth's north in 2020. ABC News

"We're seeing now worldwide things that were sort of almost theoretical or all very unlikely to happen are now becoming more routine," he said.

"Not only are they happening more often, they're happening in places you would never expect them to happen, like the Arctic Circle.

"They're also happening in the middle of the night.

"That is telling us that, because of this atmospheric acidity, [landscapes are] much drier, and so when you have dry landscapes they are poised to express extremely volatile behaviour."

How to prepare for bushfires | Emergency Tips

Links

• The facts about bushfires and climate change
• Climate change impacts on bushfires - AdaptNSW
• Tornadoes in Australia
• 'Tornado' hits South Australian town with damage to houses, trees and power lines
• Scientists Are Learning More About Fire Tornadoes, The Spinning Funnels Of Flame
• Thunderstorms and climate change in Australia

Exposure to perceptible temperature rise increases concern about climate change, higher education adds to understanding

The Conversation - R. Alexander Bentley

Higher education can train students to carefully consider the evidence around them.
Adam Crowley/Tetra Images/Getty images

AUTHOR R. Alexander Bentley  Professor of Anthropology University of Tennessee

Years ago, after taking an Earth science class, I found myself looking at the world differently. It was the 1990s, and lakes in Wisconsin where I lived at the time were beginning to freeze later in winter and thaw earlier in spring, and flowers seemed to bloom a bit earlier.

That geology class helped me understand the gradual warming that was underway, warming that has accelerated since then.

People are more likely to believe an explanation when they see direct evidence of it. In the U.S., the percentage of people who recognize that global warming is happening is higher in counties that experienced record high temperatures in the previous decade. 

But understanding what’s happening and why also matters. That’s because people’s existing knowledge shapes how they interpret the evidence they see.

Education level and political affiliation are both known to be strong global predictors of concern about climate change.

But does higher education actually create climate concern? 

As an anthropologist and a researcher in computational social science, I and my colleague Ben Horne set up a study to try to answer that question.

Education leverages experience into concern

In our study, we used Census Bureau data on the percentage of the population with at least a bachelor’s degree in 3,048 U.S. counties, NOAA data on recent warming by state, and Yale climate opinion survey data. 

We wanted to find out whether climate concern increases as a product of education and recent warming.

We found that in many southern states − such as Alabama, Mississippi and Texas − the correlation between the percentage of bachelor’s degrees at the county level and climate concern was weak. 

Higher education levels didn’t seem to make much of a difference in how concerned people were about climate change.

However, in northern states − such as Maine, Vermont and Michigan − the education effect was stronger. 

We believe this difference is in part because climate change is more perceptible in colder states. 

A 1-degree temperature rise in Florida may not feel significant, whereas in Maine or Wisconsin, it would be more noticeable as winters became shorter and signs of spring came earlier.

We believe the results suggest that higher education helps people who are exposed to perceptible warming shifts better understand the changes they are experiencing; it’s the pairing of both that makes the difference.

We wondered whether political ideology might be driving the trends we were finding. Southern states also tend to be more politically conservative.

When we controlled for political leanings, however, our analysis found that the education effect appeared to be mostly influenced by whether people had experienced perceptible warming in recent years.

There were two outliers: Despite being cold states that have experienced the effects of climate change, North and South Dakota had low education effects when it came to climate concern. 

One possible explanation is that fossil fuels are central to their economies, shaping local attitudes toward climate change.

Nationally, our study suggests that higher education leverages people’s experience with climate change to increase their climate concern. 

It isn’t just having a college education alone, as the different results from warmer and colder parts of the country show. It is experiencing rising temperatures that makes the difference. The more perceptible the warming, the greater the effect.

Young people are growing up with climate change

A generation ago, climate change seemed to be more theoretical prediction than common experience for most people in the U.S.

This may be part of the reason why a sense of urgency has been slow to develop, even though three-quarters of Americans recognize that global warming is happening. 

 Generations that grew up in the mid-20th century, when seasons and climate seemed constant, had little reason to expect change.

Today, as climate change accelerates, people are experiencing increasingly dangerous summer heat waves and extreme weather. 

Surveys show climate concern has increased in U.S. counties that have recently experienced warmer winters or extreme temperatures, and climate-driven disasters have increased public concern.

Younger generations may see the world differently. For them, climate change has been a reality in their developing years. 

Given their personal experiences and interest in science, we believe higher education will have a powerful effect.

Links

• Global warming of more than 3°C this century may wipe 40% off the world’s economy, new analysis reveals
• Antarctica’s hidden threat: meltwater under the ice sheet amplifies sea-level rise
• How expectation influences perception
• The educational divide in climate change attitudes: Understanding the role of scientific knowledge and subjective social status
• What the data says about Americans’ views of climate change
• Perceptible climate warming amplifies how education increases climate concern in the US
• Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs and Attitudes