Global warming

How it is used

Used for the temperature increase itself, often with a number: global warming of 1.5°C, limit global warming to well below 2°C. Scientists prefer 'climate change' for the wider effects such as droughts, floods and sea level rise. In everyday speech the two are often used as synonyms.

Example sentences

1. Global warming has already reached more than 1°C above pre-industrial levels.

2. Every additional tenth of a degree of global warming increases the risk of extreme heat.

Common collocations

• limit global warming
• global warming of 1.5°C
• cause global warming
• slow global warming

Related terms

• climate changeLong-term change in the Earth's typical temperatures and weather patterns. Today the term mostly refers to the warming caused by human activities such as burning coal, oil and gas.
• greenhouse effectThe natural process in which gases in the atmosphere trap some of the sun's heat and keep the Earth warm. Extra gases from human activities make this effect stronger.
• pre-industrial levelsThe conditions before large-scale industry began, usually the period 1850–1900, used as the reference point for measuring global warming and CO2 concentrations.
• Paris AgreementThe international climate treaty adopted in 2015 under the UN climate convention, in which countries agreed to keep global warming well below 2°C and to try to limit it to 1.5°C.

More terms: Climate Change and Climate Science

• extreme weather
• sea level rise
• drought
• IPCC
• tipping point
• heatwave
• ocean acidification