Climate Explainers

As climate change causes weather disaster to become more severe or reach new areas, much of our infrastructure will need to be redesigned for climate

Coastal ecosystems, formed by plants that can thrive in saltwater, are especially good at storing carbon because of the thick, rich layers of soil they build up

Concrete is among the world’s most consumer materials – second only to water. It ialso produces large amounts of heat-trapping greenhouse gases.

We use electricity every day — to turn on the lights, to charge our phones, and to keep our food cold. But most of us don’t make our own electricity. Instead, we get it from the electric grid, an interconnected network of power lines and other infrastructure that allows us to move electricity from power plants to our homes, businesses, and factories. 

Energy storage is technology that holds energy at one time so it can be used at another time. Cheap and abundant energy storage is a key challenge for a low-carbon energy system.

Human-made fertilizers have greatly boosted crop production, lettering farmers grow more food on less land. But this uptik in fertilizer use has come at a cost: planet-warming greenhouse gase emissions.

Agriculture is likey to face severe impacts from climate change. At the same time, the production, storage, and transport of food contribute to climate change.

Forests take in carbon from the air and store it in wood, plant matter, and under the soil. Restoring them is an important option for combating climate change

Freight transportation moves billions of tons of cargo around the world each year. Nearly all freight transportation runs on oil and gas.

Climate change affects both the quantity and quality of the limited freshwater on Earth and threatens the availabliity of freshwater for humans and ecosystems alike.