Weather and Climate News

Greenhouse Gas Concentrations

Volume II of the Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) is expected to be released soon. Written by more than 300 scientists, this report comes from the congressionally mandated U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), which was created with the passage of the Global Change Research Act of 1990. Volume I of NCA4, the Climate Science Special

Greenhouse Gas Sources in the U.S.

Rising Global Temperatures and CO2

The average global temperature fluctuates every year. However, when you look at a snapshot of the global temperature trend, it's on the rise - particularly since 1970. The main cause? Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions from human activities. There are plenty of factors that influence temperatures in different regions across the

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The Shum Show: COP21 & Record Warm Autumn

Check out this week's weather and climate wrap-up with Climate Central's Multimedia Journalism Fellow, Greta Shum, for the scoop on COP21 and a record hot autumn.

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Climate Matters: Major Climate Milestones

What's the big deal about hitting a couple of climate milestones related to heat and CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere? Plenty, as meteorologists Sean Sublette explains in today's Climate Matters.

2015 marked the first time since recordkeeping began that the global average temperature climbed to more than 1°C

A Major Milestone: 1°C

The planet reached two important climate milestones this year. The globally averaged concentration of CO2 reached 400 parts per million, and the global average temperature climbed to more than 1°C (1.8°F) above pre-industrial levels for the first time since recordkeeping began.

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COP21: Pathways Forward

As climate negotiators near the midway point of the talks in Paris, Bernadette Woods Placky looks ahead to the role that science might play in reducing global warming.

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COP21 Explained: 2015 Has Been Record Hot

Negotiators in Paris work on an international agreement to curb global warming as 2015 shapes up to be the hottest year on record. Climate Central's Chief Meteorologist Bernadette Woods Placky and Chris Field, climate scientist at Stanford University, report from COP21.

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COP21 Explained: What Does 2°C Mean?

Climate Central's chief meteorologist, Bernadette Woods Placky, explains the significance of 2°C in terms of global warming.

This is the Globe’s Hottest Five-Year Period on Record

No matter how you stack it, the first half of the 2010s will be remembered for its record heat. The five-year period from 2011-15 has been the hottest such period ever recorded. And with last year setting the hottest year mark, only to be surpassed by a wide margin this year, it’s clear that the planet has changed. Ahead of the Paris climate talks

Global Warming Key Driver of 2015’s Record Heat

It is virtually certain that 2015 will be the warmest year on record, with one of the strongest El Ninos ever recorded combining with manmade warming to send global temperatures soaring. But which of these is more responsible for the record heat this year? Global warming fueled by the buildup of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere is the

Global temperature departures for October 2015

Incredible October Warmth Guarantees Record Hot 2015

It’s about as sure a bet as you can make: 2015 is going to be the warmest year on record. Month after month this year, above-average — and sometimes record — global temperatures have piled up, raising the odds that this year will be the hottest one humanity has ever experienced. And now October has blown those records out of the water. According to