Climate Change

Climate change is affecting our world in profound ways, but together we can slow down and manage for climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.

Learn more about climate change impacts

Climate change presents a growing threat to America's fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats. We are focused on helping species adjust to the impacts of climate change, as well as moderating the effects of a changing climate using cutting-edge science. 

Climate change informs our ongoing work in conservation, land and species management, and habitat restoration. Because of climate change, some species populations may decline, many will shift their ranges substantially, and still others will face increased risk of extinction. Some species will survive in the wild only through direct and continuous intervention by wildlife and fisheries managers. 

The challenge of conserving wildlife and healthy, connected habitats in the age of climate change requires us and our partners to look forward, learn from the past, and apply new ways of thinking, learning about, and co-existing with the natural world. For over 150 years, we’ve applied the skill, determination, creativity, and commitment needed to conserve our nation’s natural resources. What will the next 150 years of conservation look like? 

Our Response

There are two primary ways we are responding to climate change: adaptation and mitigation.  

Adaptation encompasses a range of projects and management practices that acknowledge changes already taking place in the natural world. In response, we make adjustments to account for new or future conditions, based on the best available science. Examples include: 

• Building bridges and levees to defend against flooding 

• Switching to new crop varieties that are better suited for local growing conditions 

• Relocating communities and species that are at high risk of being lost completely 

Mitigation focuses on reducing heat-trapping air pollution and stabilizing the levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The main goal of mitigation to reduce our “carbon footprint” by using less energy, leveraging renewable energy sources, restoring degraded ecosystems, consuming fewer materials, and altering land management practices.