Here is the latest news concerning climate change and biodiversity loss in British Columbia and around the world, from the steps leaders are taking to address the problems to all the up-to-date science.
NOAA Says El Niño Expected to Grow to 'Historic Strength'
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has reported that the El Niño phenomenon is expected to intensify to historic levels. This could increase the risk of extreme weather events globally, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
Climate Scientists Say 2025 Reached 1.37°C Above Pre-Industrial Levels
Climate scientists have confirmed that 2025 was the third warmest year on record, with global average temperatures reaching 1.37°C above pre-industrial levels. This follows 2024, which breached the 1.5°C threshold, and 2023, which was 1.48°C above pre-industrial averages.
New Bill Would Protect Ontario Renters from Extreme Heat
In other climate news, a new bill in Ontario aims to protect renters from extreme heat, reflecting growing concerns about the impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations.
Quick Facts on Climate Change
- The global average temperature in 2023 was 1.48°C higher than the pre-industrial average, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service. In 2024, it reached 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels.
- 2025 was the third warmest year on record, capping the 11th consecutive warmest years.
- Human activities have raised atmospheric concentrations of CO2 by nearly 49% above pre-industrial levels (starting in 1850).
- The world is not on track to meet the Paris Agreement target of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
- UNEP's 2025 Emissions Gap Report indicates that even if countries meet emissions targets, global temperatures could still rise by 2.3°C to 2.5°C this century.
- In June 2025, global concentrations of carbon dioxide exceeded 430 parts per million, a record high.
Human Activities Drive Climate Change
According to the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, human activities like burning fossil fuels and farming livestock are the main drivers of climate change. These activities increase heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels in Earth's atmosphere, raising the planet's surface and ocean temperature.
NASA climate scientists note that human activities have raised the atmosphere's carbon dioxide content by 50% in less than 200 years, and there is unequivocal evidence that Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate.
As of June 5, 2026, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 432.34 parts per million, up slightly from 431.12 ppm the previous month, according to the latest data from NOAA measured at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. The NOAA notes a steady rise in CO2 from under 320 ppm in 1960.
The panel, which includes scientists from around the world including researchers from B.C., has warned for decades that wildfires and severe weather, such as the province's deadly heat dome and catastrophic flooding in 2021, would become more frequent and intense due to the climate emergency. It has issued a code red for humanity and warns that the window to limit warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial times is closing.
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