More heat waves, stronger storms, faster ice melt These are not predictions. These are facts. So, let's dive in WATCH: 50 Hard Truths About Climate Change Alluring Planet Sep 29 2025 report
Transcripts here for readers writers and researchers
Transcript Our planet is heating up faster than
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ever before.
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The oceans are warmer. Ice is melting at
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record rates. And extreme weather is
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becoming the new normal.
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These are not predictions. These are
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facts.
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So, let's dive into 151 true facts about
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climate change you need to know.
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Starting with the most shocking.
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Number one, Earth has already warmed
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about 1.1° C since the late 1800s. In
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2024, the spike was even higher, closer
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to 1.5°.
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That may sound small, but it's a huge
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shift. 1°ree globally means more heat
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waves, stronger storms, and faster ice
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melt.
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Number two, 2024, ranked among the
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hottest years ever recorded. And here's
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the striking part. Almost every year
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since 2015, has been near the top. The
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message is clear. This isn't a one-off
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event. It's a trend, and it's
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accelerating.
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Themer 3. Carbon dioxide hit about 422
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parts per million in 2024. For
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perspective, before the industrial
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revolution, it was just 280.
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That's 422 today.
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280 then, the highest in at least
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800,000 years.
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Number four, sea levels are rising
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faster than ever. A century ago, oceans
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crept up at about 1 millimeter per year.
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Today, it's closer to 3 to four
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millimeters annually. That's 3 to four
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times faster and still picking up speed.
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Number five, since 1880, seas have risen
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about 8 to 9 in. That's nearly the
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height of a standard brick. enough to
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make coastal flooding more frequent and
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put millions of homes and businesses in
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danger.
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Now that we've seen how temperatures and
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seas are changing, let's look at where
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most of that heat is going
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into the oceans.
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Number six, over 90% of the extra heat
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trapped by greenhouse gases has been
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absorbed by the oceans. They are Earth's
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giant heat sink, warming silently
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beneath the surface.
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Number seven, the result. The last 5
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years have all been record setters for
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ocean heat. Every year since 2019 has
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been hotter than the last, fueling
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stronger storms and pushing marine life
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to its limits.
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Number eight, in the Arctic, sea ice is
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shrinking fast. Each decade since 1980,
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the minimum summer ice has fallen by
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about 12%. That's not just ice
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vanishing. It's Earth's white shield
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disappearing, replaced by darker seas
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that absorb even more heat.
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Number nine, glaciers around the world
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are retreating at unprecedented speed.
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From the Alps to the Andes, they've lost
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trillions of tons of ice since the
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1960s.
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For millions of people, that means
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rivers and drinking water supplies are
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in jeopardy.
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Number 10, Greenland is one of the
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biggest warning signs.
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Since the 1990s, it has shed more than 4
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trillion tons of ice.
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Imagine an ice cube the size of Mount
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Everest. now multiply it thousands of
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times. That melt alone is raising seas
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worldwide.
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And Greenland isn't alone.
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Next, we'll see how Antarctica and other
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frozen places are adding to the story of
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a planet in rapid change.
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Number 11. Antarctica is also losing
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ice. The continent's massive ice sheet
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has been shedding hundreds of billions
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of tons every year. Much of the loss
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comes from West Antarctica, where
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glaciers are thinning and retreating
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rapidly.
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Number 12. Together, Greenland and
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Antarctica are the two biggest
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contributors to sea level rise,
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and the rate of ice loss is speeding up
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decade by decade.
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If both continue to melt, seas could
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rise by several feet over the coming
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centuries.
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[Music]
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Number 13. Sea ice matters because of
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its brightness. It reflects sunlight
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back into space. But as more of it
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melts, dark water takes its place,
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absorbing heat instead of reflecting it.
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This is the albido effect, and it
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amplifies warming.
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Number 14.
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The oceans are changing in other ways,
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too. They've become about 30% more
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acidic since the start of the industrial
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revolution. That's because much of the
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carbon dioxide we emit dissolves in
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seawater, altering its chemistry.
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Number 15. Acidifying oceans threaten
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corals, clams, and plankton, the base of
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the food chain. If they collapse, entire
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marine ecosystems could unravel,
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affecting millions of people who rely on
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them for food from the oceans.
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Let's turn to another vast frozen
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reservoir of carbon.
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Perafrost.
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Number 16. Perafrost soils store huge
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amounts of ancient carbon, but as they
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thaw, that carbon is released back into
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the atmosphere. The danger is clear.
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Melting perafrost could unleash a
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powerful feedback loop, warming the
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planet even faster.
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Number 17. We're also approaching
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critical tipping points. Scientists warn
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that once thresholds are crossed, like
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Amazon dieback or ice sheet collapse,
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changes could become irreversible.
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That's why every fraction of a degree
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matters.
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Number 18. Heat waves are becoming
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hotter, longer, and more frequent. In
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many regions, what used to be considered
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rare extremes are now happening almost
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every summer. For vulnerable
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communities, that can mean deadly
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consequences.
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Number 19. Science can now detect the
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human fingerprint on extreme events.
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Studies show some heat waves are made 10
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times more likely because of climate
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change. This field is called attribution
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science and it proves we're not just
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imagining these changes.
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[Music]
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Number 20. At the same time, droughts
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are intensifying.
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Some regions are seeing longer dry
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seasons while others face sudden severe
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shortages of water.
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Combined with growing populations, this
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puts pressure on farming, drinking
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water, and even regional stability.
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We've seen how rising heat and melting
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ice are reshaping the planet. Next,
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let's explore how climate change is
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driving wildfires, crop stress, and
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threats to entire communities.
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Number 21. The Himalayas are called the
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third pole because of their vast ice
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reserves. Their glaciers are melting
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rapidly, threatening water supplies for
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over a billion people. This means rivers
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that feed Asia's farms and cities may
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one day run dry.
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Number 22. Wildfires are growing longer
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and more intense. Hotter temperatures
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and drier forests mean blazes spread
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faster than ever. Communities face
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bigger losses and smoke now drifts
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across continents.
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Number 23.
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Climate change is stressing global
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agriculture. Crops like wheat, rice, and
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maze are already losing yields in hotter
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regions. For billions, this means food
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prices rising and harvest shrinking.
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Number 24. Low-lying island nations are
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most at risk.
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For the Maldes, Kiraibati, and Tuvalu,
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rising seas threaten entire cultures.
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Some communities are already planning to
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leave their homelands behind.
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Number 25. Coral reefs are nearing
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collapse. Scientists warned that up to
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90% could vanish if warming hits 2°.
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That loss would ripple through
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ecosystems and coastal economies alike.
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We've seen how heat, water, and
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ecosystems are under strain. Now, let's
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turn to greenhouse gases and how they
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drive all these changes.
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[Music]
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Number 26. Global fossil fuel emissions
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hit about 37 billion tons of CO2 in
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2024. That's a record high. And it came
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even as renewables reach new milestones
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worldwide.
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[Music]
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Number 27. Methane is another big
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driver. It's 80 times more powerful than
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CO2 in the short term, and it's now at
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record levels. This gas alone could push
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warming much faster than expected.
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Number 28. The oceans are absorbing the
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extra heat. The last 5 years have all
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set records for hottest ocean
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temperatures. Warmer seas fuel storms
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and force fish and corals into crisis.
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Number 29. Sea level rise has two
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causes. Melting ice adds water and
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warmer water expands in volume. This
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thermal expansion alone raises tides
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across the globe.
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Number 30. The verdict is unanimous.
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NASA, NOAA, and the World Meteorological
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Organization all agree. The last decade
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was the hottest ever recorded, and the
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trend is still climbing.
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Number 31. Stronger storms are fueled by
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warmer oceans. Cyclones and hurricanes
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draw their power from heat in the water.
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The more the seas warm, the more intense
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these storms can become.
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Number 32. Rising nighttime temperatures
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are one of the most dangerous heatwave
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trends. Without cooler nights, the human
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body struggles to recover, making heat
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waves deadlier.
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Number 33. Attribution science is also
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uncovering links to floods and storms,
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proving climate change is already
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shaping rainfall extremes worldwide.
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[Music]
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Number 34. As perafrost thaws, it also
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exposes ancient viruses and bacteria
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once locked in ice.
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Scientists warned these zombie pathogens
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could pose new risks to wildlife and
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even humans in a warming world.
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Number 35. Oceans are losing oxygen as
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they warm. Expanding dead zones are
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suffocating marine life in coastal
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waters in the open sea.
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Number 36. Rising acidity and heat
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together are pushing corals toward
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collapse. Bleaching events are now more
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frequent and more severe, threatening
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entire reef systems.
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Number 37. The Thuait Glacier in
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Antarctica, nicknamed the Doomsday
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Glacier, is showing signs of
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instability. If it collapses, it could
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raise seas by half a meter on its own.
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Number 38. Coastal mega cities face the
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front lines of rising seas. Places like
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Miami, Jakarta, and Bangkok are already
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battling flooding.
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39th.
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Coffee and wine are also at risk.
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Climate shifts are shrinking the land
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suitable for coffee and vineyards are
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moving as traditional regions overheat.
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Number 40.
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The cost of climate disasters now runs
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into hundreds of billions of dollars
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every year. From hurricanes to
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wildfires, the damages keep rising. No
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economy is safe from the bill.
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Number 41. Methane and black carbon are
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powerful short-lived pollutants. Cutting
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them could slow warming quickly because
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they act fast in the atmosphere. It's
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one of the fastest levers we can pull.
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Number 42.
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Climate models show us two stark
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futures. Rapid emissions cuts could
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stabilize warming. Business as usual
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leads to devastating change.
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Number 43. Diseases are spreading as
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climates shift. Mosquitoes carrying deni
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and malaria are moving into new regions.
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Warmer weather means wider risks.
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Number 44. Sea level rise is uneven
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across the globe. Local land sinking or
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uplift can double the effect in some
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regions. That means some coastlines
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flood faster than others.
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Number 45. Scientists track the carbon
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budget, the CO2. Humanity can still emit
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to stay under 1.5 degrees. At current
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rates, it will be gone in less than a
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decade. Time is running out.
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Number 46.
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Power generation is our biggest lever.
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Switching to wind, solar, hydro, and
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nuclear could cut most energy emissions.
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The technology already exists.
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Number 47. Protecting forests and
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wetlands matters. They pull carbon from
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the air, buffer floods, and shelter
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biodiversity.
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Nature is both vulnerable and powerful.
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Number 48. Studies now link major fossil
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fuel companies to measurable shares of
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warming. Some lawsuits argue they should
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pay for climate damages. Accountability
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is becoming part of the story.
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Number 49.
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Even with current warming, smart
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adaptation can help. Seaw walls, early
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warning systems, and resilient farming
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all save lives.
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Every step of preparation makes a
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difference.
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Number 50. Melting perafrost threatens
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infrastructure, too. In parts of Siberia
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and Alaska, roads, pipelines, and entire
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buildings are sinking as the ground
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thaws. Climate change is reshaping not
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just nature, but the foundations of
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human settlements.
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The science is clear. Gases, pollution,
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and human choices are shaping our
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future.
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Next, we'll turn to the greenhouse
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effect itself and what happens as these
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gases keep rising.
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[Music]
***
Alluring Planet- Something We All Have In Common!
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