Climate change is a global problem resulting from increased human emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases. It’s a long-term, planetary-scale disturbance that has already altered natural cycles and is causing a host of miserable and sometimes deadly impacts, including extreme heat, protracted drought, flooding, wildfires, and rising sea levels.

Global temperatures are rising faster than they have in 800,000 years. The cause is unequivocal: a combination of the burning of fossil fuels and the loss of forests, wetlands, and other carbon sinks that absorb greenhouse gases. These changes are affecting every region of the globe and have contributed to a growing number of climate-related disasters worldwide.

Warmer oceans fuel stronger and more frequent hurricanes, which can destroy homes and infrastructure and endanger life. Warmer air can also hold more moisture, making storms wetter and potentially more intense.

Scientists have agreed that limiting the increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) would help avoid the worst impacts and maintain a livable climate. But warming above this target could lead to irreversible tipping points—points of no return that can trigger sudden, catastrophic changes. These could include the collapse of the Greenland Ice Sheet or further warming of Atlantic Ocean currents that drive hurricanes.

Everyone will be affected by climate change. However, it’s people living in poor and marginalized communities—who have contributed the least to the problem—who are on the front lines of the impacts. They may not have the resources to adapt, and they rely on healthy and thriving natural world for food and income.