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Glite Dictionary
climate change

climate change

274 2.8
A long change in the Earth's usual weather and temperature
  • noun
  • /ˈklaɪmət ʧeɪndʒ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : cambio climático
  • Scientists warn that if we do not address climate change, extreme weather events will become more common.
  • impacts of climate change
  • climate change research
  • mitigation of climate change

Like I, I think climate change is not a matter of opinion.

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Examples

  • And what impact does climate change have on our diets?

  • And we're seeing the effects of climate change all around us.

    The Royal Institution

  • But the article talked about how climate change is increasing disease.

  • The impact of climate change that we feel is regional.

    Sabine Hossenfelder

  • People are talking about climate change, global warming.

  • Nevertheless, there is a lack of strong US policies to address climate change.

    Academic text (2011)

  • What's the effect of climate change on the on the Amazon?

    Lex Fridman

  • We're presenting our demands on climate change action.

    Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

  • Let's face it, climate change is here to stay, Emma.

    Deep Blue Sea 3 (2020)

  • We asked Dennis how climate change will affect Food and Agriculture.

Synonyms

warming
vsclimate change
354 1.8

A rise in temperature that makes something hotter

is a long-term shift emphasizing sustained average temperature rise
global warming
vsclimate change
190 2.5

A gradual rise in Earth's average temperature caused mainly by burning coal, oil, and gas

is a long-term shift affecting wider environmental patterns beyond just temperature
global climate change
vsclimate change
  • Specialized
9 3.3

Long-term change in Earth's usual weather and temperature mainly caused by people

is a long-term shift that focuses on rising average temperature
greenhouse warming
vsclimate change
  • Specialized
1 4.5

A rise in Earth's temperature when gases in the air trap the Sun's heat

is a long-term shift not limited to temperature rise from trapped heat

How Severe

climate change
  • Specialized
274 2.8

Surface Forms

climate change singular
climate changes plural

Morphology

climate + change

The meaning is directly built from 'climate' (average weather patterns) + 'change' (a shift or alteration), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to long-term shifts in climate. The compound follows a clear noun+noun compositional pattern found across languages (e.g. Spanish 'cambio climático'), making the concept readily understandable to B1 learners.

Etymology

The phrase climate change comes from the simple idea of the Earth's usual weather slowly becoming different. Here climate means the planet's 'usual weather' and change means it moves to something new, so the term now means a 'long-term change' in Earth's weather, often because the world is getting warmer.