How Climate Change Affects Communities and Biodiversity—and What to Do About It

Pew resources on science, resilience, and adaptation include expert interviews, analyses, policy ideas, and more

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The warming climate presents challenges worldwide—such as rising seas, more extreme weather events, and biodiversity loss—that the global community must confront urgently. Government policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions are critical to this effort, including measures that leverage the power of nature to both support the sequestration of carbon and build ecosystems’ resilience.

At Pew, we’re focused on advancing policies that use nature-based solutions for their multitude of climate benefits, from protecting coastal wetlands and preparing communities for severe flooding events to enhancing biodiversity—all of which will help our ocean, land, and people better withstand and adapt to climate change.

This page features experts, analyses, and research from across Pew’s numerous projects that touch on climate change.

Red mangroves
Red mangroves

'Blue Carbon': An Ally in Fighting Climate Change

Resources on international and U.S. research, policy, and protocols to protect coastal wetlands and measure the carbon they capture

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“Blue carbon” refers to carbon dioxide that the Earth’s coastal wetland ecosystems absorb from the atmosphere.

Ocean, People, Planet
Ocean, People, Planet

Ocean, People, Planet

There is only one ocean, essential to the life of everyone on Earth—and it faces perils like never before

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The ocean covers nearly three-fourths of the Earth. Vast and powerful, it is central to the life of everyone on the planet, supplying more than half of the world’s oxygen, providing food, recreation, and supporting economic vitality. Yet for all its seeming invincibility, the ocean has never been more in danger. Its very chemistry is changing as ocean waters become more acidified through climate change. Its inhabitants—from large sharks to tiny crustaceans the size of a human finger—are under assault with XX percent of fish stocks overfished. And ocean levels continue to rise, challenging the barriers separating people from water.

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